Littorai Wines is a small, family owned winery located on the North Coast of California , USA . It is owned by Heidi and Ted Lemon . Ted is a long-time winemaker who began his career by earning a degree in oenology from the University of Dijon in 1981. He is the first American to be hired as winemaker and vineyard manager of an estate in Burgundy, the Domaine Guy Roulot in Meursault, where he resided until 1984. He worked in many prestigious estates in Burgundy: Domaine Georges Roumier, Domaine Bruno Clair, Domaine Parent, Domaine De Villaine, Domaine Delorme and Domaine Dujac . Heidi worked at several estates in Napa before founding Littorai: Domaine Chandon, Robert Pecota Winery, Robert Long Vineyards and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. In 2010, Ted was voted Winemaker of the Year by the San Francisco Chronicle. He has been nominated several times for a James Beard Award as Wine and Spirits Professional of the Year. Their cultivation techniques are the fruitful expression of many years of research in the fertile cross-currents of permaculture, agro-ecology and biodynamics.