The story of Ted Lemon – founder and winemaker of Littorai – is absolutely unique. After studying viticulture, at just 25 years old he became the first American ever to be the Chef de Cave of a Burgundy domaine. And not just anywhere, but at the legendary Domaine Roulot in Meursault.

He then worked with the assembled elite of Burgundy, including: Dujac, Roumier, and Bruno Clair. This was between the 1970s and 1990s. Then Ted Lemon was drawn back to his homeland, where in 1993 he founded Littorai in Sonoma together with his wife. Naturally, his thinking and work are deeply influenced by his Burgundian schooling. The focus is on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, contrary to the American approach with single-vineyard bottlings true to individual parcels. He is a fanatic supporter of the European terroir concept and does not believe in the American branding model. Accordingly, he applied his know-how about soils and sites from Burgundy to California’s cooler coastal region and for years selected only the very best vineyards, planting them with the best Burgundian vine selections. Unlike the completely immobile, demarcated Burgundy, it is still possible here to discover and cultivate countless untapped vineyard treasures.

Already in the 1990s it was virtually impossible to get good sites as a newcomer on the Côte d’Or. That was one of the reasons for his return to the USA. Here he could draw on an apparently unlimited variety of terroirs. He mostly chose steep sites in cool climate environments that naturally allow low yields and only marginal ripening, just like in Burgundy. He found success in the cooler coastal regions of the Sonoma Coast and the emerging Anderson Valley.

Another cornerstone of Littorai’s production, alongside the terroir concept, is biodynamics. There are hardly any more fanatic biodynamic practitioners in the USA than Ted Lemon. In 2003, an estate building with an attached farm was established to fully implement the biodynamic concept of a closed production cycle. Animals are kept for their own fertilizer and to graze the weeds. The biodynamic preparations are made from herbs grown on the estate. With his quite unusual concept for California of cultivation with an uncompromising terroir and biodynamic philosophy, Ted was and is one of the most influential winemakers in the USA and an equally sought-after consultant.

His wines are always characterized by Burgundian finesse and elegance. They stand for clarity, focus, precision, and above all for transparency in site typicity. They are not typical representatives of the classic style here, but pioneers of New California, that is, freshness and cool elegance from steep sites with maritime influence and marginal ripening conditions. Nevertheless, of course, we have the rich, seductive fruit and the velvety phenolic ripeness that can only be achieved in California. All Pinots undergo cold maceration and everything is completely spontaneously fermented. After aging, the wines are bottled directly from the lees without fining or filtration. Authenticity and clarity are central. Robert Parker also praises the wines in the highest terms: "All of Littorai’s bottlings are detailed, reductive, elegant representatives that are undoubtedly the result of his Burgundian winemaking experiences at Domaine Roulot." There is really not much more to add. Except perhaps an encouragement to try these wines – without reservations about wines from California – and to convince yourself of the cool, unique elegance. They belong to the most beautiful Pinot Noirs in the USA and regularly receive ratings on the level of the very best Burgundies.