2012 Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard
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Tasting notes
With notes of fennel, beeswax, and celery salt followed by a hint of mandarin, the BA Thierot Chardonnay carries an earthier, more herbal presence than the other Littorai Chardonnays. This is a mouthwatering wine with lots of flavour concentration, and creaminess throughout. (ECB)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2012 Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard is going to need a few years to become fully expressive, but it is striking, even today. Tight, focused and crystalline in its purity, the Thieriot presents a bright profile laced with white flowers, grapefruit and lemon peel, along with a racy personality that is compelling. The 2012 should start to strut its stuff in another few years, even though its pedigree is both ample and evident today. A recent bottle of the 2010 was magnificent and still on the young side.
(13.6% alcohol): Light-medium yellow. The deepest-pitched on the nose of the 2012 Littorai chardonnays, offering Burgundian scents of peach, hazelnut, acacia flower and smoky oak. Densely packed and intense but with a light touch and lovely inner-mouth floral lift to the flavors of lemon and white peach. Wonderfully precise wine with a sappy, extract-rich finish. I'd love to drop this into a blind flight of Meursaults and Pulignys.
The 2012 Chardonnay Thieriot Vineyard is laced with white flowers, exotic fruit and mineral notes, all in a silky, layered expression of this site. The flavors are broad, rich and intense, with gorgeous resonance and fabulous overall balance. My impression today is that the 2012 will drink well right out of the gate. All the elements are beautifully balanced.
About the producer
Littorai stands as one of California’s most quietly influential estates, defined by organic and biodynamic farming, site transparency, and a restrained, Burgundian sensibility.