Dinner at AG with Ted Lemon

Part of a two day celebratory surprise chain-of-events for my wife, I had us participating in a dinner-event at Restaurant AG in Stockholm (think Peter Lugar quality meats in a scandinavian swanky design restaurant, stashed away on the second floor of a crappy lower east walk-up rental apartment building. if you're visiting Stockholm this is a must stop for foodies and wine aficionados), where high end importer Vinopia had brought Ted Lemon of Littorai over to showcase in particular his Hirsch line-up.

• 2013 Littorai Chardonnay Charles Heintz Vineyard 95 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  fantastic chardonnay. One of the best from this vineyard I have tried. While always racy and mineral-laden and elegant, this rendering of the CH chard by Littorai already offers a mysterious sexy complexity. likely to be even better in a few years but a killer chard from day 1. Go get it wherever you can!

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• 2013 Littorai Pinot Noir Les Larmes 90 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  this had a great nose with lot of pinosity, a little less elegant than the single vineyard designations but smooth and spicy and full of ripe berries and decent freshness. lovely wine!

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• 2013 Littorai Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Pleasant enough and a lot of things going on on the nose, but this wasn't showing as well as the others tonight. Recently bottled according to Ted L so perhaps slight bottle or travel shock. Given the pedigree of the producer and the vineyard, I am sure this will be great going forward.

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• 2012 Littorai Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard 93 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Wow, this wine was tight as a nutshell, but the quality of fruit and structure and elegance makes me believe this wine will outshine all the rest of tonights pinots by far. now, 93ish, for the future 95+ (and I am not one to make predictions of the future lightly).

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• 2009 Littorai Pinot Noir Hirsch Vineyard 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Great nose with a lot of lovely pinot funk and forest floor and smokey matsutake mushroom oomph, as well as some asian spice, dark, ripe fruit on this one but also good freshness, just a little root beer zing at the end makes me think this is perhaps at its peak now and over next few years. Many people really liked this above the younger versions but I could not let go of the perfect balance between sunny ripe american pinot and steely fresh elegance that the 2012 Hirsch from Littorai showed last night.

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• 2006 Littorai Pinot Noir Cerise Vineyard 92 Points

  USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

  Great wine, very different in outlook from the Hirsch line-up by same producer, this was more elegant, and not nearly as mature as the 09 hirsch. Ted offered the comment that it had almost nebbiolo like qualities, which was a great descriptor. I need to go to Anderson Valley and try some wine was my conclusion!

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Altogether a lovely event with great food, great wine, and interesting and charming new acquaintances. My wife thoroughly enjoyed herself and the wines were excellent. Littorai is sooo good.