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LIOCO is our namesake label. These offerings, driven by the availability of superlative fruit, may change year to year. The philosophy will not. While our favorite wines from Burgundy and southern France will serve as a guide, LIOCO will reflect as clearly as possible its native Californian roots. The focus is on vineyard-designate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as an old-vine blend of “under-dog” California varietals (including Carignan and Petite Sirah).
To inquire about prior vintages, please contact us at 707-595-2995 for availability.
Chardonnay is a site-transparent grape and very revealing of the particularities of where it is grown. We will bottle several single-vineyard Chardonnays and vinify them in inert, stainless-steel tanks. No oak. We pick these wines earlier to maintain natural acidity (and lower potential alcohol), employ wild yeasts, and bottle without fining or filtration. This is “natural winemaking” and the resulting wines are crystalline, alive, and pure.
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Chardonnay "Carneros" 08
This is a new wine for us—it is the sister of the 07 Pinot Noir Carneros. Why the interest in Carneros? Because it’s COOL there. And all that coolness in growing, translates to brightness in wine. Who doesn’t love vibrant chardonnay? This wine is from the four best blocks in Dale Ricci’s fog-drenched vineyard. It shows the character of the vintage: low alcohol (13.4%) & high acidity. Lots of mineral, pineapple core, miso paste, and lemon curd. At this price, it should go fast.
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Chardonnay "Carneros" 09
The 08 Chardonnay Carneros sold-out in just six months. In 09, we doubled our tonnage with grower Dale Ricci and determined ourselves to make an even better wine. Mother Nature complied, giving us a long, cool growing season and the first abundant crop since 2005. We picked the fruit earlier than last year (and well before most in the region) to accentuate that brisk Carneros acidity. What results is a wine that outshines its appellation. Gone is the tropical fruit character of 2008. The 09 shows an urgent minerality. It has intense lemon-lime notes, and a mouthwatering savory note likened only to dried herbs.
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Chardonnay “Charles Heintz” 06
The rich, amber color suggests the use of oak barrels (none were used). The perfume is at once exotic and high toned recalling night blooming jasmine, ginger, and lemon blossoms. But there are deeper, bass-tones too like raw honey and wet slate. The attack is mouth-coating, demonstrating the wine’s prowess through its sheer viscosity. Still, a vibrant acidity cuts through the honeycomb, candied ginger, and lemon peel flavors.
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Chardonnay Late Harvest "Charles Heintz" 06
This is a wine for hedonists. It boasts exotica usually reserved for forbidden Asian kingdoms—jasmine flowers, candied ginger, and mandarin peel. One swirl of the glass reveals other layers too---apple skin, freshly crushed cinnamon sticks, and a beguiling mineral character. The wine’s flavors are delivered with a surprising amount restraint. The warm lemon honey, baked apples, and toasted nuts coat your palate with limpid style.
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Chardonnay “Charles Heintz” 07
The 07 Heintz is a distant relative of the 06. It was born of a classic Sonoma Coast vintage: dry, cool, and consistent. Where the 06 was heavy on amplitude, this 07 is diamond cut. It hints at the exotica, but is held taught by ripe, cleansing acidity. Like a kernel of sun, enveloped by a cold mountain stream. Prepare for a bouquet of orange blossoms, kettle corn, and wet sand. The flavors include lemon oil, jasmine, and a chalky minerality. Needs time to reveal its true potential.
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Chardonnay “Charles Heintz” 08
With four vintages behind us at Heintz, we are beginning to understand (and better interpret) the potential of this magic site. The 08 was picked even earlier than the 07 and benefits from lower alcohol and higher acidity. It somehow achieves this svelte profile without compromising the sappy Heintz fruit. The hallmark traits of the vineyard are broadcast loud and clear--the orange blossoms, the profound clay minerality, the burnt sugar--and all of it kissed by a cooling saline quality that begs for scallops, crab, and seabass. *91 points TANZER*
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Chardonnay “Demuth” 07
A wine our sommelier friends seem to buy without fail. It is also for those who are not shocked by the thought of chewing on stones. Incredibly compelling plant material here: stressed out, old-vine Wente clone chardonnay on original rootstock growing out of very rocky mountainous soil. The wine smells of pressed white flowers, citrus oil and rock dust. The attack finds poached pears, orange sherbet, and minerals galore. A low-alcohol, age-worthy wine.
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Chardonnay “Demuth” 08
Perhaps our finest discovery in 2007 was this wind-swept, mountaintop vineyard above the town of Boonville. Stressed and growing in impossibly rocky soil, these 30-year old Wente Chardonnay vines seemed just the sort to produce compelling chardonnay. The 07 was a real hit with our sommelier friends, and it quickly sold out. The 2008, from another drought year, has less density but more clarity than the 07. The wine shows hard candy notes (lemon drops), limeleaf, and a penetrating minerality. With some air (or bottle age) look for green melon and honeysuckle notes to emerge. *91 points TANZER*
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Chardonnay “Demuth” 09
After the abysmal yield this farmer got in 07 & again in 08, he threatened to rip out these virused old vines and start over. We begged him not to. This Chardonnay vineyard clutching impossibly to the side of a mountain was something special and replanting it would change everything. In the 11th hour, he conceded, and offered us a 3-year fruit contract! Any attempt to avoid hyperbole here is futile. This is the best Demuth we have made yet. Period. End of story. With 12.6% alcohol you’ll wonder: is this Chablis or Muscadet?, cuz it sure ain’t California Chardonnay.
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Chardonnay “Demuth” 10
The rap sheet on Demuth reads like hard case: Exposed mountain-top site. Tough, rocky soil. Dry-farmed (!!). Biodynamic. Old-Vines. Wente Clone Chardonnay. Marginalized by phylloxera. Yields of < 1 ton per acre. Thankfully, owner Peter Knez (backed by star vigneron Anthony Filiberti) is determined to keep the vineyard alive. The small amount of fruit we get here produces some of the most compelling Chardonnay we've ever brought into the winery. At 12.3% alc., the frame is lithe. The attack is all about soil--like a detonating mineral bomb.
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Chardonnay “Durell” 06
A Herculean effort from a challenging year in Sonoma Valley/Carneros. The wine smells like the pits of white peaches, fresh key lime, and crushed chalk. The flavors mirror the aroma somewhat—more stone fruits, citrus peel, and something reminiscent of sun-baked, wild herbs. What we like about it is the balance and the purity. It makes us think of summer, eating outdoors, and the bounty of the sea.
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Chardonnay “Durell” 07
The 06 Durell sold out so fast it made the wait for this 07 seem endless. But it’s finally ready! Tanzer says: “Musky pear and peach aromas are complemented by green cardamom and honeysuckle qualities. An exotic cotton candy quality comes up with air, joining sweet pear and melon flavors and a late note of pear skin. There's an awful lot going on here. Utterly singular chardonnay… the food possibilities for this wine are endless.”
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Chardonnay "Hanzell Vineyard," Sonoma Valley 09
When Hanzell owners Bob and Jean Sessions offered us some fruit we had to pinch each other. The mythic Hanzell Vineyard-- whose estate wines are prized by collectors the world over for their extreme ageability-- doesn’t sell fruit. Hadn’t sold fruit for 53 years. And now this? Us? We obliged and can now proudly offer you a very limited bottling of precious Hanzell Vineyard Chardonnay. The wine shows the tell-tale signs of the vineyard—the hazelnuts, the lemon-honey, the stony minerality. Drink one now, put away the other eleven bottles. *92 points TANZER*
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Chardonnay "Michaud" 05
This immensely concentrated wine (the result of record low grape yields) smells of spiced baking apples, preserved lemons, and wet limestone. There too is a haunting white pear quality. The flavors, reminiscent of Meursault, include honey, gingerbread, and liquid mineral.
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Chardonnay “Michaud” 06
If you are looking for an overtly fruity California Chardonnay, this is not the wine. If you want to “taste stones and shake hands with a mountain” perhaps you’re on the right track here. This wine, free of any oakiness, gives a clear translation of site. It is all about rocks and underbrush. There are hints of green pear and star-fruit in the nose, but the flavors are pure soil. Of special note is the texture of this wine, which grips the palate and invites contemplation.
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Chardonnay “Michaud” 07
Kevin O’Connor says this wine reminds him of “licking a rock.” Tanzer says “it’s wild ride from citrus to pit fruit and orange marmalade on the palate, with dusty minerals adding grip.” Our sommelier friends compare it to Chablis. What do we like about the wine? That it has a distinct identity tied to the place it grows. When chardonnay grows in these Chalone limestone soils, exciting things happen. Crab season is upon us. Crack and swirl! *93 points TANZER
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Chardonnay “Michaud” 08
In 2008, a record spring frost wreaked havoc up and down the coast. It was particularly cruel in the lofty Chalone Pinnacles AVA. We bottled a paltry 38 cases of super-concentrated, remarkably pure 08 Chardonnay “Michaud Vineyard” Chalone. The wine smells like liquid quartz, manzanita bush, and fresh green herbs. It is all about soil in the way that the great wines from Chablis, Loire, and Mosel are. The coolness of the vintage translated to a lithe, low alcohol wine that begs for shellfish from the nearby Monterey Bay.
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Chardonnay "Russian River Valley," Sonoma 10
When esteemed grower John Balletto offered up some of his older-vine Chardonnay on the western edge of the Russian River Valley, we happily relocated our appellation series Chardonnay from Carneros. While this vineyard is technically RRV, it reminds of us more of the Sonoma Coast. Standing amongst the vines, you feel an ocean-cooled wind and smell the brininess of the Pacific. The resultant wine is lithe, finishing at a modest 12.3%, but shows the late-ripening, low-yield concentration of 2010 in its stone fruit and mineral expression. A hit with our sommelier friends--stop by A-16 or Redd for a glass.
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Chardonnay “Sonoma County” 06
This wine, like all of the LIOCO vineyard designate wines, was grown from the ground up. No bulk wine/juice was used. It was hand picked and sorted, and naturally fermented in 100% stainless steel using a wild yeast. It underwent a natural malolactic fermentation, and was bottled without fining or filtration. This wine showcases the hallmark traits of Sonoma County Chardonnay with lemon blossom, chamomile, and chalk playing leading roles.
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Chardonnay “Sonoma County” 07
This is the wine we wanted to make in 2006, but had neither the raw material nor the facility to do so. In 2007, it all came together-a small, concentrated crop of Chardonnay and a premium winemaking facility giving us full control of the elevage. What is immediately noticeable in the wine is freshness. Where the 2006 was rich, this wine is vivid. Unencumbered by oak, the fruit and soil character are on display. A band of chalky minerality cuts through the green pears, grapefruit, and chamomile blossoms.
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Chardonnay “Sonoma County” 08
2008 will perhaps be remembered as the year North Coast fruit growers would just as soon forget. Record frosts, drought, and fires made it one of the more challenging harvests in California’s history. That said, quality was superb. Like 2007, we saw a very small crop of highly concentrated, beautifully balanced Chardonnay. This wine is lower in alcohol and higher in acidity than the 07. An orgy of orchard fruits—more specifically stone-fruit pits—meet with rock dust and dried lemon peels. Mouth watering.
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Chardonnay “Sonoma County” 09
After four successive vintages with this wine, we are finally achieving what we set out to do. Omitting fruit sources that haven’t performed and refining those that have, has left us with what may be the most “complete” So-Co to date. The 2009 is a blend of Stuhlmuller Vineyard (Alexander Valley), Mazzera Vineyard (Dry Creek), Ricci Vineyard (Carneros), and Valentine Vineyard (Mendocino). The wine features a core of citrus (mostly lemons) and chalky minerality. Adding complexity are notes of orchard fruit and miso paste. This is drier and taughter wine that was the 2008.
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Chardonnay “Sonoma County” 10
After five successive vintages with this wine, we are finally achieving what we set out to do. Omitting fruit sources that haven’t performed and refining those that have, has left us with what may be the most “complete” So-Co to date. The 2010 is a blend of Stuhlmuller Vineyard (Alexander Valley), Mazzera Vineyard (Dry Creek), Ricci Vineyard (Carneros), and Woolsey. The wine features a core of citrus (mostly lemons) and chalky minerality. Adding complexity are notes of fresh meyer lemon and river stones.
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Chardonnay “Sonoma County” 11
The 2011 “SoCo” is a bellweather wine for us. We’ve always pursued the purest expression of place and vintage in our wines. Historically we achieved this by using stainless steel. In 2011, with winemaker John Raytek at the helm, we incorporated some neutral oak into the cellar. Gasp! Rest assured, the wine neither smells or tastes of oak. It’s all about texture—texture reminiscent of our favorite $30+ wines in the Macon. Notes of lemon peel and crushed rock are delivered with the kind of precision found only in the coolest years.
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Chardonnay "Stuhlmuller" 05
Citrus blossoms, white pepper, and crushed rocks explode out of the glass. The flavors are balanced by a gripping minerality and a playful citrus quality recalling old fashioned candied lemon-drops.
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Chardonnay “Stuhlmuller” 06
The Stuhlmuller is a much different animal than last year. We willingly paid a premium for the fruit this year in exchange for a significant reduction in grape yields. So, there is a lot less wine, but a noticeable increase in amplitude. We also let the whole thing go au natural. The 06, comparatively, has more resonance than the 05. The hallmark characteristics of this vineyard are here--lemon pith, candied ginger, Asian pear, chalk--but they seem to be delivered with more clarity.
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Blended wines were perhaps an inevitable diversion from our Chardonnay/Pinot Noir program. These wines were inspired by the egalitarian "everyday wines" of rural Europe--especially those found along the Mediterranean coastal regions of Spain and France. We love the medium-weight, fruit-driven reds and the refreshing, "gulpable" roses that make just about any plate of food taste better. Rather than expressing the character of a unique site, the goal of these wines is to provide balanced, food-friendly wines for under $20.
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Rose 07
April sunshine in a bottle. It brings to mind eating al fresco by the sea. The wine smells like peach blossoms and watermelon rind and something wonderfully herbaceous. You can almost smell the rippling acidity coursing through the wine. The Pinot Noir stands tall in this wine. The flavor wheel spins, but most often lands on quince, unripe strawberries, and blood oranges. Is your mouth watering yet? Pale in color, low in alcohol, eminently drinkable. Buy it by the case and enjoy your summer.
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Rose 08
An eminently gulpable rose made from 100% Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir grown in the cool, windy Petaluma Gap. The wine is a saignee, or bleed off of our soon-to-be released 08 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. It was fermented in stainless steel using a native yeast. Darker in hue than our 2007 Rose, and intensely varietal--this wine really smells and tasted like Pinot Noir. Aromas of sour red cherries, watermelon rind, and quince spin out of the glass. Tastes like rhubarb, wild strawberries, and blood oranges. Enjoy with a bowl of summer Gazpacho and ample sunshine.
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Rose of Pinot Noir 09
We were surprised by how quickly this wine sold out last year. Guess you all liked the idea of getting a slimmed-down Pinot Noir—one that you can leave in the ice bucket all afternoon—for fourteen bucks. This wine is a saignee, or bleed from our soon-to-be released 09 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast. It was fermented in stainless steel using a native yeast. Aromas of sour red cherries, watermelon rind, and quince spin out of the glass. Tastes like rhubarb, wild strawberries, and blood oranges. Enjoy with a bowl of summer Gazpacho and ample sunshine. Just 115 cases.
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Indica Rose´ 09
We call this one our "freaky-deaky rose." It's not Vin Gris, or Provincial, or Oeil de Derdrix. It's pretty much just freaky-deaky. Darker than rose, but not quite red. Unfiltered, unsulfured, and about as natural as wine gets. It reminds us of tasting from barrel when the just-fermented wine is exuberantly fresh and rosy. Someone said it smells like a raspberry wine. We've never had one of those, but my wife's from North Carolina, so we'll ask her about it. Come to think of it, my wife is quite fond of this wine. And if you're into David Lynch or Lady Gaga, you'll probably like this wine too.
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Indica Rose´ 10
The 2010 Indica Rose marks a return to the source of our inspiration: Europe. We wanted to take our Rose drier, lighter, and lower alc. In 2010, Mother Nature delivered us just the kind of vintage we needed to achieve this. It is made from 100% organically farmed, old-vine Carignan and it shows the salmon hue of the Provencal wines that inspired it. An old-world style Rose with a distinctive kiss of California sunshine. This wine was extremely popular early in the summer, and there are a scant 6 cases left. Next year, we’ll hope to make more!
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Indica Rose´ 11
This wine marks the inaugural offering from our new winemaker, John Raytek. We elected to take the Rose program in a new direction, believing that the world's best examples are pressed rather than bled. We picked this 70-year old, dry-farmed, organic Carignan very early and fermented it in 100% stainless steel. The resulting wine, which goes by the moniker "Strawberry Diesel," is bristling with acidity. It hints at red fruit and white flowers and crushed stones, but at barely 12% alc., it mostly just begs to be gulped.
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Indica 06
Bright, and lively on its feet. A wine of medium weight and moderate alcohol. Seductive and feminine with flesh in all the right places. Driven by Morello cherries, violets and freshly ground Moroccan spice. Reminds us of a young Dolcetto or a cru Beaujolais.
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Indica 07
The 07 Indica has less tannin and more satin. The additions of some cold-climate Grenache and Mourvedre produced unexpected high tones in the wine. Now the entire orchestra is playing. Bouquet of morello cherries, red plums, and rhubarb, accented with hints of baking spice. Tastes of sour cherries, dried blueberries, and something wonderfully herbaceous. The wine will transport you to southern France. And the 07 is rocking a screw cap! Twist and bliss.
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Indica 08
Our 2008 indica is a blend of old-vine Carignan and Petite Sirah from Alvin Tollini's vintage, plus a nice dollop of gnarly old Mourvedre from a neighboring appellation (Suisun Valley). The resultant wine is black-fruited, spicy, and way more Bauhaus (in a Peter Murphy kind-of-way) than the shrill 07 indica. Reminds us quite a bit of the 06. This wines again takes us to France, but to a slightly warmer part like the Roussillon. Grill up some lamb burgers, twist a cap, and enjoy life.
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Indica 09
Our 2009 Indica is a blend of old-vine Carignan and Petite Sirah from Alvin Tollini's vinyard, plus a nice dollop of gnarly old Grenache from Bill Crawford's McDowell Vineyard. The resultant wine is more red fruited than the 08 with some high-tone floral notes that remind us of the everyday country wines from the south of France. This is just the kind of wine we'd like to see California producing on a mass scale (instead of pricey Cabernet). Wine to drink without pretense, without occasion. This is truly "wine as groceries."
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Pinot Blanc "Antle Vineyard,” Chalone 10
When grower Bob Antle called us and offered up some of his Pinot Blanc our first response was: we don’t produce Pinot Blanc. When he explained that the vineyard had been planted by the late, great Dick Graff on a steep hillside above our cherished Michaud Vineyard, in chalky white soil—we suddenly got interested. This is a wine of place to be sure. It is decidedly distinct from the chardonnay we farm in the vineyard below. It smells like pie crust, golden delicious apples, and ground up rocks. The attack is broad and rich—the way Pinot Blanc from Alsace can be—but before it gets cloying, a palate-cleansing acidity takes hold of the reins. We got 2 tons from Bob, and made 120 cases. The Slanted Door in San Francisco is doing their best to claim it all.
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While this varietal seemed to come of age in America only recently, its Burgundian cousins were early to inspire us. Pinot Noir, if appropriately handled, can produce a transcendental experience. This elusive grape is universally regarded as the most soil-susceptible, making vineyard selection paramount. We will bottle several gently-treated, single vineyard Pinot Noirs from “fringe sites”, or places with extreme climate and tougher soil.
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Pinot Noir "Anderson Valley" 10
We require that each LIOCO wine "over deliver for the money." In our minds that standard never goes out of fashion. Sometimes that means swallowing a hard pill. Case in point: 2010 Pinot Noir Anderson Valley. The fruit came from the Klindt Vineyard, a “deep-end” Anderson Valley source we historically designate on the label, and which commands a $50 bottle price. While this wine whispered 'Klindt', it boldly proclaimed 'Anderson Valley!', and as such we elected to simply call it that. The telltale signs of the Klindt Vineyard are there however--the red raspberries, the rose petals, and the damp forest floor.
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Pinot Noir "Carneros" 07
As our friend Rhett at Bounty Hunter said, "This is what Carneros Pinot should, but very seldom does, taste like." From a vineyard bathed in cold ocean fog and benefitting from a patch of rare alluvial soil. Explosive bouquet of red plums, sour black cherries, and lilac. The attack displays Kevin's deft hand with whole cluster fermentation-a dual between the sweetness of 07 Pinot fruit and the savory of herbaceous stems. Mouthwatering.
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Pinot Noir “Hennis” 07
A little gem of a vineyard tucked away the Green Valley portion of the Russian River Valley--the known repository for the cold, ocean-born fog that creeps up river. 2007 was the "Virgin Vintage" at Henni's, or the first year fruit was harvested from these vines. It is believed that a vineyard's truest expression of place is revealed in the inaugural year. Prepare for pomegranate, sour red cherries, and something haunting best described as "sea-shore decay." Only a scant 41 cases produced.
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Pinot Noir "Hirsch" 06
This wine is inherently problematic. There is too little of it and nothing behind it in the pipeline. The 2006 bumper crop in David Hirsch's vineyard provided a once-in-ten-year opportunity to get some of this highly allocated, internationally celebrated Pinot Noir. We got five tons and made 256 cases. Here, Pinot Noir's orchestral prowess is on display. The seductive Mount Eden clone hits octaves so high, you wonder how such an elixir came from humble grapes. It's as though a liqueur was made from rose petals and red raspberries.
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Pinot Noir "Hirsch" 09
We’ve waited for three long years to be able to offer you this wine again. At last the call came from David Hirsch offering us a small amount his precious fruit. This wine is quite different from the one we made in 06--it is darker, deeper, and somehow more lithe and more powerful. Wild strawberries and dried porcini mushrooms bound from the glass. Then it’s pine cone resin and oolong tea. The coastal forest is alive in this wine! But perhaps what distinguishes it is its persistence and complexity—in much the same way it does with Grand Cru Burgundy.
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Pinot Noir "Klindt" 06
A darker, more brooding wine than both the Michaud and Hirsch. It is quite concentrated-the result of low yields-but still very alive with a ripe, rippling acidity. The fruit quality is noir-- black raspberries and boysenberries. These are not cooked berries, but the fresh, sweet-and-sour variety that make your mouth water. Accompanying the fruit is an earthy element like dried mushroom and damp forest floor-aromas you'd expect to encounter in these foggy coastal environs.
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Pinot Noir "Klindt" 07
Bob and Claudia's vineyard sits in a "marginal area" bordering Roederer's sparkling wine vineyards. This fact gives some insight into just how cool their microclimate is. All of this coolness translates to longer hang times for the fruit. And that means more complexity. This wine is concentrated without being heavy. There are the signature flavors/aromas of the Anderson Valley which we love: red raspberries & rose petals. Needs time or a serious decanting.
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Pinot Noir "Michaud" 05
Pinot Noir clearly has a vocation in the limestone-rich soils of the Michaud Vineyard. This sleeping giant, buttressed by racy acidity, suggests excellent cellaring potential. There is a wonderful tension between the flesh and the bones of this wine, recalling, dare we say...Volnay? Black raspberries, violets, and damp forest floor aromas are revealed with some airing of the wine. The flavors include cassis, dried cranberry, and wet stone.
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Pinot Noir "Michaud" 06
This wine embodies our philosophy. There is no denying its provenance. It is Chalone-in all of its high-and-dry, limestone-and-granite glory. Where the 2005 bottling was broad, the 2006 bottling is deep. There are sour red cherries soaking in a spicy Christmas brew-something with cloves and nutmeg and cinnamon sticks. And there is that stone-y minerality, evident in all the wines from this noble site. Very taught and structured. Wants to rest, and rise another day.
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Pinot Noir “Michaud” 07
A reasonable parent would never admit to a favorite child. But who can be reasonable when presented with such utter brilliance? Tasting the wine from barrel, super-star sommelier Jason Alexander called it Ambroise Corton Grand Cru. Many esteemed colleagues, upon tasting the wine last summer at Oregon’s International Pinot Noir Celebration, used the word “revelation.” Tanzer’s words: “potent, exotic, mineral-driven.” Extremely cellar-worthy.
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Pinot Noir "Sonoma Coast" 08
When harvesting Pinot Noir from cooler climes—places where fog and wind and shade are common during the summer months—you can riff off the variety’s inherent delicacy. You trade cooked, sweet black fruit for fresh, sour red fruit. You get a wine with transparency—a versatile drink that begs for lighter fare like grilled salmon or roasted chicken. The 08 Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast leads with a mouthwatering blend of red cherry and rhubarb notes, but it’s intrigue comes from the dried orange peel, tea, and spice notes. *90 points TANZER*
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