LIOCO Wine Co

Both fed up with the supercharged wines of California of the late 1990s and early 2000s – in Matt’s words, “Chardonnay was going through its Fat Elvis phase”, LIOCO was born out of a conversation between wine salesman Matt Licklider, and the wine director of Spago Beverley Hills, Kevin O’Connor. They were inspired by the wines of Europe, as well as the more understated bottlings from 1980s and California, and in 2005, they started LIOCO wines. 

It’s now run and owned by Matt and his wife Sara, and they work with vineyards that span an astonishing 400 miles, across five counties of California, and focussing on exceptional vineyards for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Carignan. They look for organically farmed parcels, older vines, soils that are out of the ordinary, and heritage clones. 

Their philosophy is to let these vineyards shine, with minimal intervention in the winery. Or as they’d put it, “trust in the raw material, and get out of the way”. As you’d expect from transporting grapes such huge distances, they use refrigerated lorries, and when they get to the winery, they carry out a very careful sorting. Beyond that, all techniques are used to retain terroir-definition, and the results from winemaker Drew Huffine are seriously impressive.

A real trailblazer in the movement towards a new style of Californian wine, when they started this style of wine was considered an anomaly. But for many who have followed, the Lickliders and what they’ve done at LIOCO are a real inspiration.