Everyone is looking for a great rose wine as summer approaches and vin gris wines offer a lovely example. Vin Gris refers to very pale rose wines. They are made from grapes, such as Pinot Noir and Grenache, that are lightly pressed and the juice, or pulp, is separated from the grape skins before too much color is transferred.
The 2008 Littorai Vin Gris of Pinot Noir is a special wine and the first Vin Gris the winery has produced since 1997. Littorai Wines was founded in 1993 by Heidi and Ted Lemon and the name refers to "coasts" in Latin. True to its name, the Littorai wines are made from the coastal areas of Sonoma and Mendocino and Ted Lemon is very focused on wines that reflect the place in which the grapes were grown.
The 2008 Vin Gris from Anderson Valley in Mendocino is super pale, pretty, dry and elegant, with strawberry, rhubarb, citrus, and mineral notes as well as a savory herbal quality. Very small amounts of this wine are made and the Littorai wines are very rarely found in retail stores. You're in luck, however, because California Wine Merchants has a few precious bottles in stock. $28.99 -- while supplies last! ;)
