LIOCO Laguna Pinot Noir 2015 | Pure Pleasure! Bright & Gracious
LIOCO Laguna Pinot Noir 2015 has always been about expressing the essence of the coast. There is a coolness to these wines—a sour red fruit, rhubarb, pomegranate, sweet-tart thing that you get only from sites in ocean-impacted zones in Sonoma—Laguna shows this. It is a blend of our stalwart Teac Mor Vineyard near Sebastopol. While situated in the lowest part of the valley where all the fog eddies out. Plus with a little piece of Martini Clone Pinot, we grabbed from John Balletto’s vineyard out on Burnside Road next door to Littorai. The resulting wine, in character with the vintage, is at once powerful yet graceful.
More Red Gems under $35
90AG Vinous | The LIOCO Laguna Pinot Noir 2015 is a bright, gracious wine. Cranberry, raspberry, rose petal, white pepper and mint add to the wine’s distinctly high-toned personality. Savory and earthy notes typical of the coastal sites that go into the blend, along with a touch of whole clusters, add further shades of nuance. There is a lovely sense of precision here.”.
Lioco | Top 100 Winery
So, just fifteen years after bootstrapping his way into high-end winemaking, LIOCO earned a coveted spot among Wine & Spirits magazine’s Top 100 Wineries in the world in 2017. While their story is repeated by a stunning roster of restaurants. Starting with Michelin 3-star temple The French Laundry. In addition their 3-star Healdsburg neighbor SingleThread. Plus The Little Nell in Aspen among them—that feature their wines.
Found at the finest Michelin-starred Restaurants
LIOCO’s founding partners first made their name by scouring coastal California for cool vineyard sites and rare soils. In addition by traveling tirelessly to pour their wines one-on-one for sommeliers from San Francisco to Stockholm. This eventually earned them impressive wine list placements in restaurants like The French Laundry and Manhattan’s Jean-Georges.
Co-founder Matt Licklider
So, now run by co-founder Matt Licklider and his wife Sara. While LIOCO’s reputation as a producer of unique California wines has, without a doubt, eclipsed its charming founding story. Yet, this evolution is best embodied by LIOCO’s new tasting room. Located on the town square in Sonoma County’s new gourmet Mecca of Healdsburg. Where just steps away, Michelin 2-star darling SingleThread offers a half-dozen LIOCO wines.
