Wine of the week: snap up this soon-to-be legendary Californian pinot

This is the most beautifully thought through, carefully judged, respectfully oaked and finely tuned red wine.

2018 Littorai wine
(Image credit: )

2018 Littorai, The Pivot Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California

£470 in bond for six bottles, rennaisancevintners.com; £380 in bond for six bottles, Wimbledon Wine Cellar 020-8540 9979

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Made by Ted and Heidi Lemon from a 2.8-acre biodynamic vineyard, this is the most beautifully thought through, carefully judged, respectfully oaked and finely tuned red wine, and it manages to add a whisper of whole-bunch detail (37%), too – Ted and Heidi adding ravishing “seasoning” to their pristine fruit with consummate accuracy. I was so taken by this wine after first encountering it, I immediately bought three bottles and opened them for a series of my most forensic wine pals to enjoy. It passed every analysis with flying colours, accompanied by oohs and aahs.

I then poured it at a corporate event and a further 25 wine lovers fell at its feet. Please do look up Littorai and learn more about the Lemons and their talents because they are a fascinating pair. This wine has yet to secure a wine-shop listing, but two merchants have put their hand up with rather differing prices! My advice is to get in quickly because only 515 cases were made of this soon-to-be legendary wine.

Matthew Jukes is a winner of the International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Communicator of the Year (matthewjukes.com)

Matthew Jukes
Wine columnist

Matthew Jukes has been the MoneyWeek wine correspondent since 2006.

He has worked in the UK wine business for well over three decades and during this time has written 14 wine books. His four highly-acclaimed, annual wine reports – the Burgundy En Primeur Report, the Bordeaux En Primeur Report, the Piemonte Report and the 100 Best Australian Wines – are published on his website.

Matthew is a winner of the International Wine and Spirit Competition's Communicator of the Year Trophy. His thoughts, recommendations and tastings notes are followed very closely by the wine world at large.