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LIOCO sources fruit from some of California’s most acclaimed cool-climate regions, including the Sonoma Coast, Mendocino County, and the Santa Cruz Mountains. Our wines highlight the unique soils and coastal influence of these vineyards, producing Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Carignan that reflect the true character of each site.

Chardonnay

2023 Sonoma County Chardonnay

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Chardonnay

2023 Sonoma County Chardonnay

$25

AROMA: lemon blossom, orchard fruits, crushed stone

FLAVOR: mineral, pomelo, white tea

FOOD PAIRINGS: fish & chips, fresh oysters, shrimp Scampi

VINIFICATION: The fruit was hand-harvested in early October, destemmed, and foot tread before being pressed. The majority of the juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks, the balance in neutral oak puncheons where they remained (no battonage) for 6 mos before racking. A gentle cross-flow filtration was performed prior to bottling.

SITE: This wine is composed of several vineyards, all in the cooler, western regions of Sonoma County. While each site is distinct, they share a common commitment to sustainable horticulture and strident farming. Our intention for this wine is to express the unique character of this region. Warm days and cool nights, tempered by consistent oceanic fog, yield nuanced Chardonnays balanced by brisk acidity.

NOTES: You've heard about 2023, right? The return to a classic California vintage. Wet spring. Good size crop. October harvest dates. Low blood pressure. ;) The 2023 wines are super fresh, fruit dense, and because of the extended hang times—very aromatic. For this year's installment, we went back to the original SoCo "recipe." All the fruit came from ranches in the Russian River Valley / Sonoma Coast corridor. All of it was hand picked in early to mid-October (in itself, a news story). The fruit was crushed—in this case, foot tread, back at the winery, and pressed out into stainless steel tanks. For the first time in many years, we elected not to blend down any barrel-fermented lots into SoCo—it's 100% tank fermented and aged, and it shows the Chablis-like tension and minerality we find only in the coldest growing years. This wine is mouthwatering and buttressed with a low 3.4 pH. Opened bottles should hold up for several days in the bar fridge…if they last that long.

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Chardonnay

2023 Estero Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

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Chardonnay

2023 Estero Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

$48

AROMA: yellow apple, pie crust, quartz

FLAVOR: nectarine, white miso, ginger tea

FOOD PAIRINGS: French omelette, scallop roll, cauliflower gratin

VINIFICATION: 9 tons hand-harvested between Aug 31` and Sept 14. Berries were destemmed and gently crushed before going to press. All lots fermented on wild yeasts and aged seperately for 10 months in 600L neutral oak puncheons, before being racked off the lees to steel for an additional 6 months. A slow malolactic fermentation completed. Cross-flow filtered prior to bottling.

SITE: This wine is made from a selection of our favorite Russian River vineyards. All sites are situated 10-15 miles from the coast, with gravelly loam + sandstone soils planted to Clone 4, Dijon 95 + 96, and Curtis clone . This growing region is distinguished by its complex relationship with the cold Pacific Ocean, omnipresent fog, ancient redwoods, + the Russian River itself.

NOTES: The 2022 Estero is the best version of this wine we have ever bottled. And I hope we never bottle another one like it. You know those difficult years in Burgundy when all the 1er Cru fruit get's declassified into the Bourgogne Blanc, and the Bourgogne Blanc punches way above its weight class? During the extreme 2022 harvest, a heat dome was bearing down on the state. And we were encouraged to declassify most of our Vineyard Designate fruit into Estero. Cost of Goods be damned. So our little AVA bottling of Chardonnay was the recipient of not only our best, stalwart holdings in the RRV from Burnside Road and Piner, but also barrels of prized Tidal Break and Casa Seca. The resulting wine just has a couple of extra gears in the gearbox. It is opulent to be sure, but it's still on brand—which is to say still fresh, mineral, and complicated in the best way possible. We love this wine and drink bottles of it at home

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Chardonnay

2024 Skycrest Vineyard Chardonnay, Anderson Valley

Fall Release 2026

Fall Release 2026

Chardonnay

2024 Skycrest Vineyard Chardonnay, Anderson Valley

$70

AROMA: loquat, pomelo, geranium

FLAVOR: lemon curd, sesame, rosemary

FOOD PAIRINGS: fried clams, saffron risotto, rockfish sandwich

VINIFICATION: 2.3 tons hand-harvested on Oct 5th. Chardonnay clones 4 + 72 (Wente) fermented separately on native yeasts in neutral barriques & 600L puncheons. The wine completed a spontaneous malolactic fermentation, and was aged in barrel for 10 mos Racked to steel for an additional 6 mos of anaerobic aging. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: This elusive vineyard is pitched along a series of ridge lines at 2500' in the bucolic Anderson Valley, 20mi from the coast. Its tough mountainous soils range from grey shale to decomposed sandstone with veins of quartz crystal. The clonal material differs by block—this wine is a blend of clone 72, planted in 2011, and clone 4, planted in 2006. This eastern edge of the valley is subject to extreme temperature swings, late flowering, and naturally low yields.

NOTES: From the western end of this craggy ridge, we bottled 10-vintages of Demuth Vineyard Chardonnay...until those old vines were torn out. From the eastern end of it, we discovered another kingdom of Chardonnay by the name of Skycrest. At 2500’, it's the Anderson Valley's highest elevation vineyard. Pushing out of fractured grey shale and decomposed sandstone with veins of quartz crystal, it’s constantly in the wind, making the berries small and the yields low. With some airing this 2022 Skycrest starts to hum—loquat, pomelo, geranium, lemon curd, sesame, and rosemary. Enjoy with some fried clams, or a rockfish sandwich.

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Chardonnay

2024 Tidal Break Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

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Chardonnay

2024 Tidal Break Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

$72

AROMA: sea spray, green pear, orange blossom

FLAVOR: creamsicle, parmigiano rind, crushed seashell

FOOD PAIRINGS: miso cod, chicken pot pie, stuffed squash blossoms

VINIFICATION: 4.03 tons hand harvested on Sep10th. Chardonnay clones 4 + 76 fermented on native yeasts in neutral 600L puncheons. The wine completed a spontaneous malolactic fermentation, and was aged in barrel for 10 mos. Racked to steel for an additional 6 mos of anaerobic aging. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: A deep coastal site in the lee of a forbidden Buddhist monastery. Sits at 700-800ft between the first and second ridge, three miles from the Pacific on an active seismic fault. Soil is strewn with luminescent blue volcanic rock and sandstone. Steep and angular with multiple aspects —all of them lashed by fog and ocean-born wind. Clones 76 and 4 planted in 1999 and farmed Certified Sustainable.

NOTES: Tidal Break sits in the lee of a forbidden Buddhist monastery on the far Sonoma Coast. There are several energy vortexes nearby running along what the locals call "...the tail of the serpent" (aka the spine of the San Andreas Fault). This site has presence. Our rows of Clone 4 are planted on luminescent blue volcanic rock and sandstone. Given the proximity to a cold sea, this wine is generally as-chiseled and mineral a chardonnay as they come. From the extreme 2022 vintage, we experienced a heat dome bearing down on the state. The fruit came in looking pretty impacted by the sun, and we elected to triage it mercilessly. Most of it was declassified into our Estero Chardonnay. The scarce clusters that did make the grade for our Tidal Break designate were painstaking hand-selected. This wine is exotic in a pleasing way, with an aromatic opulence we've never seen from this site, but the characteristic acidic structure—still very present despite the warm harvest temps—keeps things fresh and mouthwatering.

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Chardonnay

2024 Casa Seca Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

Fall Release 2026

Fall Release 2026

Chardonnay

2024 Casa Seca Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

$72

AROMA: bruised apple, bayleaf, honeysuckle

FLAVOR: brioche, orange marmalade, cardamom

FOOD PAIRINGS: acio e Pepe, Croque Monsieur, Shrimp & Grits

VINIFICATION: 3.8 tons hand-harvested on Sep 5th. Fruit was crushed, pressed, and fermented on native yeasts in neutral oak barriques + puncheons. The wine completed a spontaneous malolactic fermentation, and aged in barrel for 10 mos Racked to steel for an additional 6 mos of anaerobic aging. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: A former apple packing ranch situated in the heart of the Russian River Valley, about 13 mi from the coast at just under 200 ft elevation. Casa Seca refers to the turn-of-the-century apple kiln (or dry house) still standing on the property. Planted in 1988 with 3 unique Wente clones on AXR-1 rootstock; our block features the rare Curtis clone which ripens slowly, produces smaller clusters, and holds its acid. Soil is a sandy/clay/loam mixture known as Goldridge. Dry-farmed by the ever-thoughtful Eva Dehlinger.

NOTES: We’ll never forget the day we got a hand-written postcard from Eva Dehlinger. She inquired if we’d be interested in a new project she and her family were managing. The Vineyard was sandwiched between Kistler and Dehlinger on Vine Hill Rd, and was planted in the 1980s on rare 8X8' spacing on AXR-1 rootstock. It featured an old Wente clone called "Curtiss Clone" which was known for maintaining higher acidity. They were dry-farming it. Yep, interested! We named our block Casa Seca, or "dry house" after the 1880's brick apple kiln still looming over the vines. From the extreme 2022 vintage, with a heat dome bearing down on the state during harvest, we were encouraged to triage this fruit mercilessly and declassify most of it into our Estero Chardonnay. The fruit that made the Casa Seca designate was hand-selected on a sorting table. What little wine we bottled is opulent in a pleasing way. Still balanced with ripe acidity—there is an August orchard fruit quality to the wine that makes our mouths water. A sneaky cinnamon note too that reminds us of Meursault.

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Pinot Noir

2024 Mendocino Pinot Noir

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Pinot Noir

2024 Mendocino Pinot Noir

$28

AROMA: boysenberry, violet, dried sage

FLAVOR: sour plum, red licorice, nutmeg

FOOD PAIRINGS: chicken yakitori, peking duck, porcini risotto

VINIFICATION: Fruit was hand-harvested and sorted on Sept 9-15th. All lots were fermented in open-top tanks with 15% whole clusters. Manual cap management was performed during 14-16-day primary fermentations. Aged for 10-months in a mix of neutral oak and stainless steel barrels.

SITE: A selection of premier Mendocino County vineyards were selected for this wine, with an emphasis on dry-farming, older vines, and sustainable viticulture. Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 777, 2A, Pommard, Beaujolais, and Martini compose the blend. The goal was to capture the unique character of this region defined by the proximate Pacific Ocean, coastal redwoods, and headwaters of two major rivers.

NOTES: We're gonna go on record and say it: this wine is ONE OF ONE. There simply is not another Mendocino Pinot Noir being bottled today that claims such a wide range of vineyard sources. This wine spans the entire county from Potter Valley (interior) to Comptche (far coast). As such, it may be the first time we can assess the true "characteristics of place" for Mendocino. Like the 2023 before it, the '24 installment is infused with an exciting new source in the heavily forested, near-coast hamlet of Comptche. The Comptche lots were blended with stalwarts from the Anderson Valley, The Cole Ranch, and the Potter Valley. The AV component adds characteristic purple berry/red floral notes. The Cole Ranch piece contributes a pleasing grip/structure. And the Potter Valley piece provides the high tones in the wine, care of some rare Beaujolais-Clone Pinot Noir. We feel this wine from disparate but essentially Mendocino ranches blends out to give a wide aperture view of this wild, evergreen county, and make an authentic expression of Mendocino Pinot Noir.

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Pinot Noir

2024 Lejano Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

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Pinot Noir

2024 Lejano Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

$55.00

AROMA: crushed black cherry, red licorice, slate

FLAVOR: kirsch, coastal berries, corriander

FOOD PAIRINGS: braised pork shoulder, laquered short rib, charred eggplant

VINIFICATION: 3.2 T of Swan Clone + .5 T of Clone 115 picked on Aug 26 & Sept 6th. Both lots fermented on wild yeasts in small open-top tanks, 33% whole cluster. A 4-day cold soak preceded a 14-day spontaneous fermentation. Pumpovers used to produce a gentle infusion. Aged 10 months in barrel (20% new French oak). Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: Lejano is Spanish for "distant" or "far away," which aptly characterizes the remote Sonoma Coast vineyards we source from. These fringy sites are situated 5-14 miles from the Pacific Ocean on a series of ridgelines and/or valleys at 400-700 ft — placing them at the fog line. These diverse soils of sandy clay loam are strewn with fossilized seashells. The extreme microclimate requires a steady temperament and a willingness to work with low yields.

NOTES: We went back to Pocket Canyon in 2024. A fellow winemaker we know from Punchdown Cellars farms it organically for Anthill Farms and LIOCO exclusively. This sweet little vineyard gave us pea-sized berries and a gusher of sour red fruit in 2023. The site is planted with prized Swan clone on a steep slope enclosed by redwoods in a fog-choked canyon west of Forestville. It's dry-farmed by default because the coyotes chew on the drip lines, rendering them ineffective. Micro yields and intense concentration result. The other component in the wine is Sealift Vineyard on the West Sonoma Coast near Annapolis. Just a few miles from the Pacific, Sealift is constantly lashed by ocean winds and fog and provides a savory, saline quality that marries well with the red-fruit notes. The wine showcases what we love about Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast — energy, mouthwatering acidity, and signature tone.

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Pinot Noir

2023 Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

James Suckling - 96 points

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Pinot Noir

2023 Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

$70.00

AROMA: pink peppercorn, violet liqueur, black raspberry

FLAVOR: brandy soaked cherry, starburst, rose hips

FOOD PAIRINGS: Duck confit, oil poached tuna, Cuban sandwich

VINIFICATION: 2 T of Swan clone harvested on 10/7 and 4 tons of 115 and 777 harvested on 10/9. All three clones were fermented on 25% whole clusters in open-top tanks with native yeasts. A 4-day cold soak preceded one daily punch down and pump-over during a 15-day fermentation. Aged for 10-mos in 28% new French oak. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: This historic vineyard sits on the south side of route 128, 11 miles from the coast at elevations of 250-500 ft. Soils comprised of mainly decomposed sandstone result in a struggle for nutrients and water, keeping the resulting fruit load of the vineyard in natural balance. The first blocks were planted in 1963; ours in 2000 to clones 115, 777, and Swan. Edmeades is quintessential Anderson Valley with densely forested rolling hills, frequent fog, and the Navarro River running through it.

NOTES: Edmeades is ideally situated in the deep end of the Anderson Valley on the south side of Hwy-128. The vineyard faces SxSW and tumbles down a sandstone slope into the Navarro River. Redwoods abound. A reliable breeze blows off the ocean surface and gets funneled through the vineyard and down valley towards Boonville. When you get a few local winemakers talking privately about the best terroirs in the Anderson Valley, the former Londer property in Philo often gets mentioned. The new owners bought the historic Edmeades property next door too, adjoined the two sites, and elected to carry forward the family name credited with planting the first-ever vineyard in the Anderson Valley AVA (c)1963. EDMEADES. We were graciously offered our pick of the litter and selected three blocks on the old Londer side which includes some heritage Swan clone. The droughty 2021 vintage gave us tiny clusters packed with flavor intensity and showcases the signatures of the Anderson Valley's prestigious deep end—freshly picked purple berries and red florals.

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Pinot Noir

2024 Saveria Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

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Pinot Noir

2024 Saveria Vineyard Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains

$72

AROMA: lilac, black plum, orange pekoe tea

FLAVOR: Maraschino cherry, red licorice, 5-spice

FOOD PAIRINGS: tempura mushrooms, duck conﬁt, carnitas

VINIFICATION: 5.15 tons hand-harvested and sorted on September 13th. Fermented on 33% whole clusters using wild yeasts. A 5-day cold soak preceded a 14-day fermentation. Cap management entailed one pump-over and one punch down daily. Pressed at dryness and aged 10-mos. in 30% new French oak. Bottled unﬁned and unﬁltered.

SITE: A hidden vineyard near the town of Aptos, 600ft above sea level and a mere 4 miles from the Paciﬁc. Pinot Noir clones 115 and 777 planted in the late 1990s. Soil is a deep colluvial fan of sand and calcareous marine deposits with excellent drainage. Exchange of fog/sun ensures proper vine respiration and very even ripening. Maritime climate necessitates extended hang times. Farmed by Prudy Foxx, aka "The Vine Whisperer."

NOTES: It’s not difﬁcult to make good wine in California. It’s very difﬁcult to make great wine here. Saveria Vineyard, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, is ﬁring on all cylinders. It's likely a combination of maturing vines (25+ years) and the vineyard work of Prudy Foxx and her crew. But there is something else. We believe that site reigns supreme. Even the most skilled winemakers / farmers can take an average site—especially Pinot Noir—only so far. The greatest wines in the world come from the greatest vineyard sites. This is absolute. Saveria is just such a site in our view. We now have 11 vintages to reﬂect back on and one thing is certain: the site shines through every year. There's a tonal radiance to the wine—a briny, coniferous quality bespoke of the coastal redwoods enclosing the vineyard. We gave the 2022 six additional months in barrel to reﬁne the tannins characteristic of the vintage. As such you'll have to be patient with this wine. Should be good to go by Turkey Day (and until Turkey Day 2034 and beyond).

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Pinot Noir

2024 Comptche

Fall Release 2026

Pinot Noir

2024 Comptche

$50

AROMA: sour plum, red rose, baking spice

FLAVOR: wild blackberry, red & black cherries, hibiscus

FOOD PAIRINGS: tuna poke, 5-spice duck breast, roasted gamehens

VINIFICATION: 8 tons of pristine Pinot Noir hand harvested and table sorted on Oct 4-15. All clones fermented on wild yeasts with 25% whole clusters in a mix of 2 and 5 ton open-top fermenters. A 4-day cold soak preceded one daily punch down and pump-over during a 15-day fermentation. Aged for 10-mos in 28% new French oak. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: This wine is composed of two neighboring vineyards in the newly minted Comptche AVA on the Mendocino coast. Sitting in a prime spot 14 miles from the ocean in the Albion Wind Gap, this foggy, forested zone sees 40° diurnal shifts. Pinot clones 667, 777, 115, & Pommard planted in 2000 on Franciscan soils. Chimera refers to a rare albino redwood tree towering over the property.

NOTES: We've been waiting to share this wine with the world—the first rendering from the newly minted Comptche AVA on the far Mendocino coast. After years of petitioning, growers John Peterson and Saul Ramirez were awarded appellation status for their vineyards Peterson and Costa—two of just three vineyards that qualify for the AVA (the third is Oppenlander). The AVA is defined by its low lying elevation (300-400 feet) and proximity to the nearby Pacific Ocean (14 miles) with it's reliable fog and cool air. The proximate Albion Wind Gap plays an important role channeling the ocean influence into the coastal valleys. Densely forested, extremely remote, and alive with exotic wildlife such as black bears, bald eagles and steelhead—this may be the most 'wilderness wine' LIOCO has bottled since our days at old Chalone. The wines remind us of the best deep-end sites in the nearby Anderson Valley like Kiser, Wendling, and Bear Wallow—but for half the price. New frontiers often bring value. Grower John Peterson, whose family were homesteaders on this land in the 1800s, tells the story of an extremely rare albino redwood tree that looms over the property—a pale white tree that botanists from around the world come to study. The locals call that tree Chimera.

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Pinot Noir

2024 Sealift Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Fall Release 2026

Fall Release 2026

Pinot Noir

2024 Sealift Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

$72

AROMA: Black cherry, rosemary flower, orange Pekoe tea

FLAVOR: Italian plum, violet pastille, star anise

FOOD PAIRINGS: wild salmon burgers, BBQ pork fried rice, soy glazed pork chops

VINIFICATION: 4.07 tons hand-harvested and sorted on September 9th. Drought concentrated berries (Clone 115) fermented on wild yeasts in small open-top tanks with 33% whole clusters. A 4-day cold soak preceded regular cap management (mostly pumpovers) during a 14-day fermentation. Aged undisturbed, for 10 mos. in 33% new French oak. Bottled without fining or filtration.

SITE: This spectacular "true coast" vineyard with unobstructed views of the Paciﬁc was a former apple farm. In a prime spot at 700ft. between the ﬁrst and second ridge, 5mi. from the sea. Clones 115 and 777 planted in 1999 on well-draining sandy-loam soils full of fossilized scallop shells. This area is heavily forested, reliably cool and foggy, and ideally suited for high energy Pinot Noir.

NOTES: Tucked in between the ﬁrst and second ridge, this neighborhood has established itself as the premier locale for high intensity Pinot Noir. The Sealift Vineyard was formerly an apple ranch and the old brick kiln still stands tall on the site. There are a number of aspects to this ranch but the dominant force is exposure to the Paciﬁc ocean. To the south you can spot the northern most blocks of the Hirsch vineyard and to the north, down in the valley below, the iconic redwoods towering over the Peay Vineyard. The soils are sandy with fractured veins of shale resulting from all the seismic drama that is still unfolding in this young geologic zone. Just 5-miles from the Paciﬁc at mid-level elevations most of the ranch is right at or just above the fogline, meaning the fruit gets slowly ripened under cool sunlight. Ideal for our kind of Pinot Noir.

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Pinot Noir

2024 Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

Fall Release 2026

Fall Release 2026

Pinot Noir

2024 Edmeades Vineyard Pinot Noir, Anderson Valley

$72

AROMA: preserved plum, penicl shavings, cedar bark

FLAVOR: black raspberry, fig, lavender

FOOD PAIRINGS: carnitas, veal milanese, iberico ham

VINIFICATION: 2 tons each of Swan, 115 and 777 clones harvested on 9/19. All three clones were co-fermented on 10% whole clusters in an open-top tank with native yeasts. A 4-day cold soak preceded one daily pump-over during a 14-day fermentation. Aged for 10-months in 25% new French oak. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.

SITE: This historic vineyard sits on the south side of route 128, 11 miles from the coast at elevations of 250-500 ft. Soils comprised of mainly decomposed sandstone result in a struggle for nutrients and water, keeping the resulting fruit load of the vineyard in natural balance. The first blocks were planted in 1963; ours in 2000 to clones 115, 777, and Swan. Edmeades is quintessential Anderson Valley with densely forested rolling hills, frequent fog, and the Navarro River running through it.

NOTES: Vintage 2024 unfolded on time, as if the season itself had been orchestrated. Generous winter and spring rains refreshed the soils, giving vines a deep reserve of water heading into a warm, dry flowering that produced beautifully set clusters. Summer brought warm days and cool nights, allowing grapes to ripen slowly while maintaining vibrant acidity, and the absence of rain kept disease pressure low. Harvest arrived under cool, sunny skies, enabling careful, deliberate picking at perfect maturity. Edmeades Vineyard was LIOCO's first foray into the lower-elevation sites (250') on the south side of Highway 128—those with more shading from afternoon sun allowing the fruit to develop more slowly, preserving freshness and nuance. The resulting wines carry a lower pH than those on the hillsides across the street, and a palpable freshness and taught structure on the palate. In 2024, we harvested all three clones (115, 777, and Swan) on the same morning and co-fermented them with 10% whole clusters (which was a first). The resulting wine shows layered aromatics, supple tannins, and a natural vibrancy.

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Outliers

2025 Lost Slough Vineyard Cortese, Clarksburg

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2025 Lost Slough Vineyard Cortese, Clarksburg

$44

AROMA: rock salt, fresh clover, white grapefruit

FLAVOR: umami, white sage, Eureka lemon

FOOD PAIRINGS: fried oysters, caesar salad, chicken yakitori

VINIFICATION: 4.18 T were hand harvested on Sept. 4th. Fruit was whole cluster pressed and cold settled. Wine fermented on native yeasts in a mix of stainless steel and neutral puncheons and underwent a spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Aged in tank on the lees for 4-months and cross flow filtered to bottle.

SITE: The Lost Slough Vineyard lies in the heart of the Clarksburg AVA just east of the Sacramento River. It is planted below sea level (!) on the black peat soils of the California Delta. An advanced levee system holds back the vast tidal river waters. This interior zone sees hot days, but cooler nights from breezes blowing off the bay. The vineyard is under the direction of multi-generational grower Celia McCormack and her capable crew at KG Vineyard Management.

NOTES: Our first trip to Lost Slough Vineyard felt like a mission. After a long drive toward Sacramento, we reached District 17, deep in the inner Delta, then crossed four bridges and the Sacramento River by ferry, winding for miles along levee roads into the outer Delta. This vast landscape of historic farms and small towns dates back to the Gold Rush and railroad era. Lost Slough sits on McCormack Tract, established in the 1930s, and—remarkably—lies below sea level, protected by an intricate levee system. The soils are Egbert series: rich, alluvial deposits washed down from the Sierra. Long devoted to pears, cherries, watermelon, garlic, and olives, the ranch welcomed grapes in 2000. The McCormacks planted varieties suited to heat yet capable of retaining acidity—Grüner, Orange Muscat, Verdejo, Loureiro, Falanghina, Cortese, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris, and Albariño. They agreed to farm our section of Cortese (and Falanghina and Albariño) organically. Farming here demands balance: broad canopies and moderated yields to preserve freshness without dilution. It’s a wild place, unmistakably Californian.

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2025 Rosé of Carignan, Mendocino County

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2025 Rosé of Carignan, Mendocino County

$28

AROMA: white guava, chrysanthemum, pennyroyal

FLAVOR: rose water, white raspberry, peach pit

FOOD PAIRINGS: crispy ﬁsh tacos, moules frites, BLT

VINIFICATION: 10.3 tons harvested on 9/20 and 10/10. The fruit was hand-harvested and the berries whole-cluster pressed to a stainless steel tank. The wine was fermented cool and ﬁnished dry. It underwent a long, slow malolactic fermentation which balanced the naturally high acidity. A gentle ﬁltration was done prior to bottling.

SITE: From a mid-century planting of dry-farmed, head-trained Carignan in the township of Talmage. A severe diurnal shift supports gradual and often late ripening. The soil is red clay strewn with ﬁst sized rocks. The combination of vine age, extended growing season, and tougher soil conspire to produce a rosé with great freshness and complexity.

NOTES: You’ve heard about 2023, right? The return to a classic California vintage. Wet spring. Good size crop. Perfect summer weather. October harvest dates. Low blood pressure. ;) The 2023 wines are super fresh, fruit dense, and because of the longer hang times and fully ripened skins—they are wildly aromatic. Like last year, this Rosè of Carignan comes exclusively from Rory & Vince Bartolomei’s vineyard in Talmage, Mendocino. You have turn your clock back 100 years when you visit Talmage, a special place where locals still ride into town on horseback. These two brothers look like they walked off the set of a Quentin Tarantino movie—such distinctive characters, so tied to a speciﬁc time and place. Their ranch was planted more than 80 years ago and the soldiering old vines have have been dry-farmed there for generations. Some healthy looking clusters came in on the morning of October 9th—a month later than in 2022—with textbook chemistry. To manage color uptake we elected not to crush the fruit before pressing it. This direct-to-press method reduced our juice yield but gave us the pale salmon colored wine we were seeking.

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2023 Indica Red Table Wine, Mendocino County

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2023 Indica Red Table Wine, Mendocino County

$25

AROMA: violet, blackberry, rosemary

FLAVOR: Italian plum, dried ﬁg, iron

FOOD PAIRINGS: stuffed Cubanelles, pizza funghi, shepherd's pie

VINIFICATION: All fruit was hand-harvested in early Oct. Fermented in a mix of open-top tanks (both whole cluster + destemmed) and closed tanks (true carbonic). Once pressed, all lots aged separately in neutral oak barrels and stainless steel for 10-mos. Bottled unﬁned/unﬁltered.

SITE: Composed from three historic Mendocino County ranches—two on the valley ﬂoor, one at high elevation—all with heritage dry-farmed, head-trained Carignan + Valdiguie vines. Soils range from red clay (valley) to hard scrabble rocky (mountain). These rapidly vanishing California grapes harken back to the Golden State's earliest winemaking efforts.

NOTES: The wildﬁres in 2020 necessitated a shift in fruit sourcing, and the extreme drought / massive winter frost of 2021 left us with too little fruit to bottle an Indica. The 2022 was a return to form as we tapped all three original fruit sources, ramped the carbonic maceration, and bottled a wine that everyone agreed was ﬂat out delicious. It sold out before we could get the 2023 to bottle. Fear not! The 2023 is now bottled and it, like so many of our 2023s shows the once-in-ten-years fruit quality that this vintage will soon be known for. It is a blend of three historic Mendocino ranches—some dry-farmed, 1940s Carignan from Bartolomei (Talmage) and 1960s McCutchen (Pine Mountain), plus a healthy dollop of rare 1940s Valdiguie from Lolonis (Redwood Valley). We rocked 50% whole cluster, with two tanks going through carbonic maceration. Further, we pressed the juice off the skins early and "went to barrel sweet" to highlight the crunchy freshness of this wine. The result is chillable, medium weight red—with some grip—that reminds of us Cote de Brouilly but is unabashedly Californian.

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LIOCO Bottle Cabernet Sauvignon Fondo 2021

Outliers

2022 Fondo Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley

Fall Release 2026

Outliers

2022 Fondo Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma Valley

$70

AROMA: wild blackberry, preserved cherries, gravel

FLAVOR: Santa Rosa plum, black currant, bay leaf

FOOD PAIRINGS: braised short ribs, Korean BBQ, bistro burgers

VINIFICATION: 1.8 tons of Clone 8 + 2.4 tons of Clone 337 were hand picked on Sep 3rd. Fruit was hand sorted and destemmed. Both lots underwent 4-day cold soak before fermentation on native yeasts. Daily cap management during 21-day fermentation. Wine was aged in new & used French oak barrels for 18 mos. Bottled unﬁned/unﬁltered.

SITE: Fondo means 'lowest part, or bottom' in Spanish and refers to the aspect seen in the Sonoma Valley. Two parcels compose this wine. Clone 337 from the historic Bedrock Vineyard (38%), planted 2004 with 'old-school' California sprawl on alluvial soils of loam, clay, & volcanic ash. Clone 8 is dry-farmed on the proximate Monte Rosso Vineyard (62%), planted 2004 on red, iron-rich clay soils. This blend from two legendary growers showcases the reﬁned Cabernet this AVA is known for.

NOTES: The opportunity to access some legitimate Grand Cru quality Cabernet Sauvignon grapes at Monte Rosso Vineyard is what pushed us, at long last, into the world of red Bordeaux varieties. That coupled with an open door at the historic Bedrock Vineyard on the valley ﬂoor below–where our friends Morgan and Chris had just wrapped the ﬁnal year on a 30 year grape contract with Mondavi (long a source for that legendary estate's Reserve Cabernet). The stars had ﬁnally aligned for LIOCO to attempt a CS inspired by those from another era—the 1970's California Cabs with low ABV, little to no new oak, and plenty of savory Bordeaux-like complexity. Our ﬁrst ever CS, which we named Fondo meaning "from the lowest part of the valley," was a barrel selection we blended from both vineyards. The micro, drought concentrated 2021 vintage gave us a wine of great force and power, that once opened gulps down air, drinks well on Day 2, and should provide for decades of cellaring potential.

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