Dr. Jason J. Litton Award Recipient

Margaret and Derek Hathaway Honored at the 2010 Gala

Dr. Jason J. Litton was a founding member of Très Bonne Année and served on the Board of Directors from its inception in 2000 until his untimely death in September of 2008.  He arguably was the most serious collector of wine in the mid-state, and his passion for food and wine was unrivaled.  Jason loved his wine and more importantly loved sharing it with friends.  Pairing his wines with the sumptuous cuisine prepared by his beloved wife Linda was Jason’s delight and pleasure.

Jason was a generous humanitarian and loved Très Bonne Année.   Every year he donated many of the most prestigious and highly sought after wine lots.  Just weeks before his death, he asked Linda and his son Peter to put together some very special auction lots that he wished to donate that year.

Established in 2009, the Jason J. Litton Award was created to honor individuals of unique gifts and character – individuals as outstanding in their own way as the man for whom the award is named.  Nominees are proposed annually and are submitted to a committee comprised of Dr. Litton’s wife Linda and others who knew Dr. Litton.  The committee members wish to honor persons in the community who emulate Dr. Litton’s tenets and embrace his philanthropy, his generous spirit, his love of wine and his general life philosophy.   At Dr. Litton’s “Celebration of Life Service,” his family enumerated the virtues they attribute to him:  honesty, friendship, energy, passion, generosity, love of life, appreciation of beauty, and love shared.

Each recipient of the Dr. Jason J. Litton Award receives a Riedel wine carafe etched with their name and the eight qualities depicting Dr. Litton’s life.

Recipients