Wines
The Path Less Trodden
The hunt for California's greatest terroirs has put a lot of mileage on our cars. It's necessitated before-sunrise journeys to places out of cell phone range. Many of these wild places, beautiful as they may be, don't make the cut. Only a handful do. We began drawing our own map of Golden State Grand Crus in 2005, and have bottled wine from nineteen American Viticultural Areas. Today the focus is on our home county of Sonoma, Mendocino, and Santa Cruz...with some outliers in Clarksburg and Santa Barbara.
Kimari
$70
AROMA: lemon balm, yellow plum, white sage
FLAVOR: lemon meringue, oyster liqueur, fresh thyme
FOOD PAIRINGS: razor clam crostini, uni pasta, burrata and peaches
VINIFICATION: 1.34 tons hand-harvested on Sept 3rd. Fruit was crushed, pressed, and fermented on wild yeasts in 500L neutral oak 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 choice little "home vineyard" is tucked into a fog-choked valley four miles from the cold Pacific Ocean. It grows on colluvial soils of golden sand and calcareous deposits. Clonal material is Old Wente, planted in the mid-1980s at <600ft elevation. This uniquely temperate region is defined by its relationship to the sea, reliable fog, and coastal redwoods. The vineyard was recently acquired by the Novick family and is managed by local legend, Prudy Foxx.
NOTES: Formerly known as Howard Family Vineyard, this sweet little home vineyard was purchased in 2021 by Ari & Kim Novick. They renamed the vineyard Kimari—a blend of their first names. The Novicks and their star viticulturalist Prudy Foxx are making all the right moves here: amending depleted soil, trimming back the encroaching forest, converting everything to biodynamic farming. They occasionally let their horse run through the vine rows. And they planted a vine nursery to preserve the integrity of their 1980s dry-farmed, old Wente Chardonnay (one of the oldest plantings in Santa Cruz). This is a damp site 4-miles the sea and it will seemingly always be a race against botrytis, but drinking the last few vintages determines us. This wine is chiseled from stone. Pure mineral energy. At 3.2 pH and 7.2 g/l TA it delivers a focused beam of flavors. Our mouths water for ocean delicacies or Sara's favorite summertime treat— burrata & peaches.
Casa Seca
$70
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.
Tidal Break
$70
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.
Skycrest
$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 SKY starts to hum—loquat, pomelo, geranium, lemon curd, sesame, and rosemary. Enjoy with some fried clams, or a rockfish sandwich.
Estero
$44
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
Sonoma County
$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.
Saveria
$68
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).
Edmeades
$70
AROMA: fresh cranberry, red currant, pipe tobacco
FLAVOR: berry bramble, crushed clove, red plum
FOOD PAIRINGS: osso bucco, herb-rubbed lamb, shepherd's pie
VINIFICATION: 4.06 tons hand harvested on Sept 12th. Clones Swan, 115, and 777 co-fermented in open-top tanks on native yeasts. A 4-day cold soak preceded one daily punch down and pump-over during a 15-day fermentation. Fermented on 25% whole clusters and aged for 17-mos in 33% 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: The 2022 Edmeades is our 4th bottling from this historic vineyard—Anderson Valley’s oldest. Situated in the deep end of the Anderson Valley on the south side of Hwy-128, the vineyard faces SxSW and tumbles down into the Navarro River. Redwoods abound. A reliable breeze blows off the ocean, funnels through the vineyard, and down valley towards Boonville. We selected the three choice blocks—including some magic Swan Clone we first tasted in Copain's cellar back in 2019. From the droughty 2022 vintage, we used 33% whole clusters and rendered a wine with fresh cranberry, red currant, pipe tobacco, berry bramble, crushed clove, & red plum. When we’re feeling fancy, we pair it with osso bucco.
Sealift
$70
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: 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.
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.
La Selva
$53
AROMA: black raspberry, violet, pennyroyal
FLAVOR: mulberry, black tea, pink peppercorn
FOOD PAIRINGS: BBQ spare ribs, oil poached tuna, wild mushroom risotto
VINIFICATION: 1.48 tons hand-harvested and sorted Sept.14 All vineyards and clones fermented separately (33% whole cluster) in open-top tanks using wild yeasts. 4-day cold soaks preceded a daily punchdown and pump-over for balanced extraction during a 13-16 day fermentations. Aged for 16 mos. in 33% new French oak. Bottled without fining or filtration.
SITE: From a selection of premier vineyards in the deep end of the Anderson Valley. Pinot Noir clones 115, 777, and Swan planted 20+ years ago in varied soils of decomposed sandstone, clay, and fractured rock in elevations ranging from 400-1100 feet. Along with an omnipresent marine influence, this valley is defined by the presence of old growth redwood trees. La Selva means 'the forest' in Spanish.
NOTES: If you have been following along, you know LIOCO is ‘all in’ on the the Anderson Valley. We are captivated by the melange of ocean, and fog, and forest and the way plays out in the wines. The 2022 installment comes from selected blocks in two primo deep end sites— Edmeades Vineyard and Brashley Vineyard. This micro bottling of just 3 barrels was fermented on 33% whole clusters, was bottled unfiltered, and telegraphs the characteristics of place—the black raspberries, violets, pennyroyal, mulberry, & black tea. La Selva gets us thinking about savory/salty dishes like some sticky BBQ spare ribs.
Lejano
$50
AROMA: kirsch, Earl Grey, cranberry
FLAVOR: cola berry, cocoa nibs, Morello cherry
FOOD PAIRINGS: turkey burgers, roasted steelhead, 5-spice chicken wings
VINIFICATION: 1.2 T of Swan Clone + 1.3 T of Pommard hand harvested & sorted on Sept 30th & Oct 4th. Fermented on wild yeasts in small open-top tanks with 25% whole clusters. A 4-day cold soak preceded a gentle infusion during a 14-day fermentation. Aged for 10 mos in 16% new French oak barrels. 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 400-700ft—placing them at the edge of the fog line. Clones Pommard & Swan planted in the late 1990s on diverse soils of sandy clay loam strewn with fossilized seashells. The extreme microclimate and meagre soils require a steady temperament and a willingness to work with low yields.
NOTES: With three years of extreme drought severely diminishing grape yields, we had to find an additional source for Lejano. We found two—a pair of wild, organically farmed sites west of Forestville ringed by redwood trees. These two sites and our stalwart Sealift Vineyard on the far Sonoma Coast are defined by their relationship with the nearby Pacific Ocean. They all cling to a series of hills at the fog line. The San Andreas Fault runs through this zone, lifting up complex soils full of mixed rock and fossilized scallop shells. The small clusters and hot weather at harvest in 2022 inspired us= to employ delicate winemaking protocols to hedge against any excessive color or weight. We did predominantly pump-overs and bottled only the free run juice. The result? A still dark, brooding Pinot Noir with medium to high grip, that needs some air to reveal its core of characteristic sour red fruit.
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.
Mendocino
$28
AROMA: Bing cherry, rose petal, iron
FLAVOR: black raspberry, dried tobacco, lilac
FOOD PAIRINGS: chicken liver mousse, wild mushroom tartine, venison burger
VINIFICATION: Fruit was hand-harvested in early-Sept. and vigorously sorted. All lots were fermented in open top tanks with 10% whole clusters. Regular cap management was performed over a two-week primary fermentation. Aged for 8-months in a mix of neutral French oak and stainless steel barrels.
SITE: A selection of premier Mendocino County vineyards from Potter Valley, sweeping west through the Yorkville Highlands, Anderson Valley, and out to Comptche on the far coastal Mendocino coast. These sites were selected with an emphasis on dry-farming, older vines, and sustainable viticulture. Pinot Noir clones 115, 667, 777, 2A,, Pommard clone, and Martini play a part in the blend. The goal was to capture the unique character of this region defined by the proximate Pacific Ocean, coastal redwoods, and river valleys.
NOTES: Vintage 2022 gave us another extreme drought year with a warm, dry winter producing early budbreak. The vines responded to the stress by putting out a tiny fruit set. Vintners who love small yields and the concentrated wines that follow, rejoiced. Growers who get paid on tonnage, groaned. And so it went. The growing conditions were perfect until the Labor Day Weekend "Heat Dome" which brought Phoenix-like temps to all of California. We started picking as early as we could to get the fruit out of the sun. The growers that had some water to combat the heat, faired best. Those who didn't ended up dropping a lot of sun burned fruit onto the ground. More triage was done in the winery to ensure that only healthy clusters were used. Once again, we were surprised by the pure flavors draining out of the fermenters a few weeks later. Seems these California vines are inoculated against extreme weather events--especially the more mature vineyards in the Potter Valley. The 2022 Mendo Pinot is a wide aperture view of the county-- with fruit from four disparate AVAs: Potter Valley, Yorkville Highlands, Anderson Valley, and Comptche. It shows the typicity of this diverse region which reads like a love letter to Mendocino County stained with brambly coastal berries, pine resin, and blue florals.
Valdiguie Lolonis
$44
AROMA: graphite, baked blueberries, bay laurel
FLAVOR: raspberry liqueur, hibiscus, sarsparilla
FOOD PAIRINGS: barbacoa tacos, peking duck, mixed grill
VINIFICATION: 4.1 tons were meticulously field-sorted and hand-picked on October 12. Half of the fruit was destemmed and crushed under foot, the other 50% fermented whole-cluster. Spontaneous fermentation followed, with regular pumpovers for 18 days. Lightly pressed into neutral oak barrels for a quiet nine month slumber, and went to bottle unfined/unfiltered.
SITE: Some of the oldest known Vitis vinifera plantings in California live on this ranch. Our block of Valdiguie, selected for improved vigor, is considered "young vine" at 30+ years old. The vines are head-trained and dry-farmed organically on red clay soils strewn with fist-sized rocks. At 900ft elevation, an extreme diurnal shift necessitates longer hang times (and a steady temperament). The vineyard is overseeen by Athan and Denise Poulos, cousins to the Lolonis family.
NOTES: It took us several vintages to figure out the mysterious grape that is Valdiguie. With no varietal Valdiguie benchmarks from which to draw inspiration, we were left to figure it out via trial and error. In 2018 (our sixth humble attempt!) we finally cracked the code and made a wine that elicited an "ah-ha!" moment in the cellar. Not like Gamay, not like Syrah, but kind of like a mashup of the two, we offer up the very fine 2019 installment which saw 50% fermented on whole clusters with lots of carbonic energy, the other half destemmed and treated like Pinot Noir. The result is a floral, black-fruited, medium weight red that likes a slight chill and pairs with just about anything. Incredibly rare, you'll be the first one on your block to uncork a bottle. Val-dee-gay!
Sativa Mendocino Carignan
$44
AROMA: boysenberry, tar, lavender
FLAVOR: violet pastille, Morello cherry, cacao
FOOD PAIRINGS: violet pastille, Morello cherry, cacao
VINIFICATION: 4.6 tons of old vine Carignan hand-harvested on Sep 30th. Fruit was field sorted in the vineyard to ensure only choice clusters were used. We foot tread it, then fermented beneath a submerged cap with 100% whole clusters for 15 days. The free run juice was racked to neutral oak where it spent 18 mos undisturbed. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.
SITE: From a historic Mendocino vineyard pitched on the lofty slopes above Cloverdale, these 70 year-old, dry-farmed, head-trained vines are farmed by the indefatigable Jim McCutchen. Planted on south-facing exposures at 2200-2400 feet on a mix of hard shale and clay soil. This rapidly vanishing California grape variety - made in this ‘old-timey’ way - harkens back to the Golden State’s earliest winemaking efforts.
NOTES: In the spring of 2021, we made several trips to Jim McCutchen's mountain-top Carignan vineyard. We separated the vineyard into four blocks, with a qualitative hierarchy, and designated the choice piece called MAIN BLOCK for our Sativa bottling. This block in the tenderloin of the property has always been dry-farmed on stony soils. It was hand-planted by Jim and his father in the early 1960s. We returned in August and green dropped some clusters from the shorter shoots. On the morning of Sept 30th, in the midst of a historic heat storm, we harvested it, foot tread it, and fermented it on 100% whole bunches beneath a submerged cap. We drained the free run juice, and gave it a long slumber in our best puncheon barrels. Sixteen months later, the 2022 Sativa was bottled unfined/unfiltered. Result? A saturated, deeply flavored Sativa. It's as if the dreaded heat before harvest actually benefitted this wine—helped to fully ripen the fruit's prodigious tannins. Lesson learned.
Indica Red Table Wine
$28
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.
Pet Nat Sparkling Chardonnay
$30
AROMA: yellow pear, sake, millet
FLAVOR: dragon fruit, fennel bulb, seaweed
FOOD PAIRINGS: caviar bumps, shrimp cocktail
VINIFICATION: 1.83 tons of Wente Clone Chardonnay was harvested early the AM on 9/29. The fruit was whole cluster pressed and intentionally oxidized before beginning a cold fermentation on native yeasts. Transferred to champagne glass in early December and disgorged in March of 2024.
SITE: Hall Road vineyard lies on the Southwestern edges of the cold and low lying laguna of the Russian River, just north of the town of Sebastopol. Farmed and owned by Hugh Reimers, this cold region grows Chardonnay with that perfect balance of acid and fruit just right for sparkling wines.
NOTES: This is a story about making lemonade from lemons. Or...Pet Nat from underripe grapes. During a midnight pick at the peak of harvest, a worn down crew picked the wrong block of Chardonnay from one of our sources in the RRV. They were supposed to pick our block of Clone 4, sitting at 22 brix. They errantly picked a neighboring block of Wente Clone lagging behind at 19 brix. Too lean even by LIOCO standards. What to do? Turn it into Pet-Nat. We raised this bright, lemon-driven wine in old barrels until it was nearly dry, then transferred it with all the fine lees into champagne glass in early December. We disgorged it in March of 2024 and were delighted to find a very dry, very effervescent white wine. So many Pet Nats are funky or murky or both. This is neither. This is LIOCO Pet Nat. And it will likely be gone by the time you finishing reading th...
Rosé Ojo de Perdiz
$44
AROMA: white peach, tangerine oil, wet stone
FLAVOR: pickled strawberry, chervil, saffron
FOOD PAIRINGS: paella, salmon crudo, fried chicken
VINIFICATION: 1.74 tons of Pinot Noir (82%) and .37 tons (18%) of Chardonnay hand-harvested on Sept 25. The fruit was gently crushed and sent direct-to-press. Co-fermented on wild yeasts in neutral French oak barrels, completing a long, slow malolactic fermentation. Racked to steel for a 1-month settling before bottling.
SITE: At less than a quarter square mile, the Cole Ranch AVA is the smallest appellation in the United States. The AVA is located between the Russian River and Anderson Valley at elevations ranging from 1400-1600 feet. Surround by forested hills, it is unique for its terrarium-like setting and cool climate / late ripening relative to neighboring Ukiah. This 55-acre vineyard was originally planted in 1971 by John Cole, but is now under the management of Mike Lucia and Jill Shadek who are practicing organic without any herbicides or pesticides.
NOTES: Last year we found a permanent home for Ojo! A few years ago, our Healdsburg friends Mike and Jill Lucia put the resources together to purchase America's Smallest AVA, The Cole Ranch. As soon as the ink was dry on their land deed we were blowing them up about buying some fruit out there. On our first visit to the vineyard we were delighted to learn there was some Pinot and Chardonnay, and that our friends would make some available to LIOCO. The 2022 Ojo de Perdiz Rosé affirmed what we suspected—that this organically farmed ranch in the hills between the Russian River and the Anderson Valley would be a perfect terroir for making serious co-fermented Rosé. In 2023, we tweaked the cepage a bit and backed down on the Chardonnay component. The resulting wine still delivers that eponymous partridge eye color, but with perhaps more red-fruit notes. The nervy spine of acidity comes from the white fruit which came off at a razor sharp 19 degrees brix. The slow elevage in old wood brings it all together and gives us a wine with a myriad food pairing possibilities. This is a GO-TO selection for one course at every LIOCO winemaker dinner.
Rosé of Carignan
$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.
Lolonis – Old Vine White Wine
$50
AROMA: key lime, shortbread, lemongrass
FLAVOR: quince, rock salt, pomelo
FOOD PAIRINGS: creamy hummus + grilled pita, mojo de ajo shrimp, herbed chèvre + seeded cracker
VINIFICATION: 1.6 T Sauvignon Blanc, .6 T Sémillon, and .4 T Chardonnay hand-harvested on Sept.12. All three varieties went directly to press without any sulfur additions, and were co-fermented on wild yeasts in neutral French oak. Post-malo, the wine was racked to stainless steel to settle for one month. Cross-flow filtered before bottling.
SITE: This historic Prohibition-era ranch boasts some of the oldest known Vitis vinifera plantings in California. The Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon vines were planted in 1942, and the Wente Chardonnay in the early 70s. Vines are head-trained and dry-farmed organically, on red clay soils strewn with fist-sized rocks at 800-900ft. elevation. Extreme diurnal shift necessitates longer hang times (and a steady temperament). Vineyard is overseen by husband/wife duo Denise and Athan Poulos.
NOTES: Blending Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon has been done for hundreds of years in Bordeaux, France. And crisp Loire wines from Cheverny have similarly married Sauvignon Blanc with Chardonnay for centuries. But what about a blend of all three varieties? And what if we co-fermented them? This was the question we pondered for a few years while kicking stones around Lolonis Ranch. We were already knocked out by the 1942 Sauvignon Blanc, which we've been bottling since 2016. In 2018, the idea got wings, resulting in our first bottling of Old Vine White. Textural yet taut, the wine reminded us of some European super-blends. In 2019, we adjusted our take from the vineyard and leaned harder into the SB with the hopes of adding more focus to the softer, golden elements contributed by the Sémillon and Chardonnay. The resulting wine, fermented on native yeasts in six neutral oak barrels, delivered exactly that, and is a step-up from the maiden voyage in its precision, complexity, and mouth-watering snap.
Lolonis – Sauvignon Blanc
$50
AROMA: white grapefruit, tarragon, pulverized stone
FLAVOR: Key lime, jasmine flower, satsuma
FOOD PAIRINGS: crab Louis, trout Almondine, goat cheese tart
VINIFICATION: 2.193 tons of micro-sized clusters were hand-harvested on Sept 28. Fruit was whole-cluster pressed into a mix of neutral oak puncheons, cigar-shaped barrels, and stainless steel drums. Aged for 6 months on the lees before being bottled unfiltered.
SITE: This historic Prohibition-era ranch boasts some of the oldest known vitis vinifera plantings in California. This Sauvignon Blanc, planted in 1942, may very well be the oldest SB in the country. The vines are head-trained and have been dry-farmed organically since planting on red clay soils strewn with fist-sized rocks. At 31 miles from the coast and 850ft. elevation, an extreme diurnal shift necessitates longer hang times (and a steady temperament). The vineyard is overseen by husband/wife duo Denise + Athan Poulos.
NOTES: As the drought persists in Northern California, the octogenarians lording over the Lolonis Vineyard soldier on. Drought years always yield concentrated wines. Drought years from very old, dry-farmed vines take it to the next level. This is next level Sauvignon Blanc. We picked these miniaturized golden berries on the morning of September 9th, and whole cluster pressed them into stainless steel and one cigar-shaped barrel (thank you for the inspiration, Didier Dagueneau). The wine took a long, long time to ferment on its wild yeasts, but at last gave us a deeply mineral expression of soil with mere hints of white fruit and flowers. There may be no better accompaniment from our cellar with fresh oysters.
Ascona
$60
AROMA: yellow kiwi, pommelo, wild sage
FLAVOR: grapefruit pith, tarragon, quartz mineral
FOOD PAIRINGS: seared scallops w/ lime zest, yellowtail cru-viche
VINIFICATION: 0.8 tons of micro-sized clusters were hand-harvested on October 4th. Fruit was whole-cluster pressed into a one neutral barrique and one cigar-shaped barrel. Fermented on wild yeasts and aged on the lees for 10-mos with no stirring. Bottled unfined/unfiltered.
SITE: This exposed ranch at the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains sits above the fogline at 2400' on a thin layer of Vaqueros sandstone and sandy loam with rock just below. A rare clone of Alto Adigean Sauvignon Blanc planted in 2018 seems well suited to this mountainous aspect. Facing west and just 15 miles from the foggy Pacific, this marginal zone requires a dedicated viticultural approach. Growers Ken + Abbey Swegles, who farm it organically, are up to the task.
NOTES: We've been reluctant to jump on the Sauvy B bandwagon. Our rendering at Lolonis Vineyard long seemed like an anomaly for its soil-driven personality. But the intrepid negoce producer always keeps an open mind! When our friend and LIOCO wine club member Ken Swegles invited us to his Ascona vineyard, situated on the roof of the Santa Cruz Mountains, we jumped. Ken and his wife Abbey live on site and farm this vertiginous slope with the utmost love and care. The SB they offered us has a mountain-born pedigree of its own—a clone from the Dolomites in Italy's Alto Adige. We knew we had something special once the fruit was through veraison. The flavors and aromas of our juice samples were off the charts. Maximalist and exotic. We took inspo from our favorite SB in the world—the Pouilly Fumes of house Daguenot—and raised the wine in a cigar shaped barrel with all the lees. The resulting wine is a shocker— über-concentrated, layered, rich, but still mouthwatering as you'd expect from a cool, mountain-top site facing the Pacific Ocean.
Grüner Veltliner
AROMA: celery, Sencha tea, seashell
FLAVOR: yellow plum, white miso, mineral
FOOD PAIRINGS: scallop crudo, uni on toast, Spring veg salad
VINIFICATION: 2.93 T of drought-concentrated Grüner Veltliner was hand-picked, destemmed and sent directly-to-press. The juice was intentionally oxidized before a spontaneous fermentation commenced in stainless steel barrels + one neutral barrique. Aged sur-lees for 5 months and then racked to steel for 2 additional months. Bottled without fining or filtration.
SITE: Kick-on Ranch is 14-miles from the Pacific Ocean in the East/West running Los Alamos Valley. Cold ocean breezes ensure slow and even ripening. Soils are grey sandy loam, low in nutrients, and produce lower yielding vines. Grüner material is Davis Clone 1 and was grafted in 2012 onto some Pinot Gris vines (planted in 2000 on 101-14 rootstock). Our section of the vineyard is farmed organically by Graham Tatomer.
NOTES: Several years ago, Matt was pouring at a trade show in NYC. At the table next to him was up-and-coming Santa Barbara vintner, Graham Tatomer. Graham was well known as "the guy" for California Riesling and Gruner Veltliner, having apprenticed with one of Austria's greatest vintners. Matt, already a fanboy, told Graham, "...if a ton of Gruner grapes ever falls off the back of one of your trucks, gimme a call ;)." In 2020, our phone rang and two tons came home to Sonoma. In 2021, three tons and a budding partnership with a real pioneer. The Kick-On Ranch sits in a wind-strafed canyon, 11-miles from the cold Pacific Ocean. The soils are a well drained sand. The micro-climate seems perfectly suited for this rare Austrian variety, which was a real challenge to ferment but which ultimately gave us an electric, mineral-drenched white wine that calls out for fried artichokes and crudo.
Cortese
$42
AROMA: Thai basil, Amalfi lemon, granite
FLAVOR: camphor, quartz, grapefruit pith
FOOD PAIRINGS: green chicken curry, kebob, aguachile
VINIFICATION: 4.62 T were hand-harvested on Oct 1st. Fruit was whole cluster pressed, intentionally oxidized, and cold settled. Wine fermented on native yeasts in 100% stainless steel, and underwent a spontaneous malolactic fermentation. Aged in tank on the lees for 4-mos and bottled unfined/unfiltered.
SITE: The Lost Slough Vineyard in Yolo County sits in the heart of the Clarksburg AVA. It is planted below sea level (!) on the black peat soils of the California Delta, to the east of the San Francisco Bay. An advanced levee system here holds back the vast tidal river waters. This interior zone sees hot days and cold nights which quickly ripens the fruit and invites earlier harvest dates. The vineyard is under the direction of Steve Matthiasson who is farming it with no herbicides or pesticides.
NOTES: Last year, our friend Steve Matthiasson told us he was involved with an organic Cortese vineyard on a spit of sand in the middle of the Sacramento delta. He went on to describe a site that “…used to flood during King tides until they devised a levy system to keep the brackish water out. A sandy site full of sea shells (!!)." Yolo County has never been on our radar. It seemed a place far too hot for LIOCO's preferred acid-driven style. And here is where the learning is! Turns out this warm, interior California terroir is well suited for a vigorous, sun-loving white grape like Cortese. Our first attempt with this wine in 2022 made us believers. In the winter of 2023 we signed a contract with growers Chuck & Iris Harrison, and set about a way to refine our wine from Lost Slough. A few notable changes in 2023: (1) we picked much earlier, (2) we foot tread and cold soaked a couple bins, and (3) we vinified it in 100% stainless steel to accentuate the inherent snappiness. The resulting wine is more in line with a classical Gavi di Gavi from Piemonte, but still retains that sun-kissed California fun.
