LIOCO line-up
Chardonnay, Kevin O' Connor, Lioco, Pinot Noir
We boarded a plane from Santa Rosa to LAX yesterday afternoon, and Kevin O’ Connor of LIOCO happened to be on our same flight. Call this a sign from above that it’s about time we make good on our promise to write up the wines we tasted with Kevin a week ago.
For those of you unfamiliar with LIOCO, a bit of background…only a couple of vintages young, Lioco is a small winery crafting Sonoma wines, many of them from single vineyards. Its principals have a storied history in the wine and food industries of California: Matt Licklider spent many years at North Berkeley Imports, handling sales for some of the world’s finest wine labels. Kevin O’ Connor continues to head up the wine program at Spago in Beverly Hills. And winemaker Kevin Kelley got a degree at Davis and spent his formative years in Burgundy before returning to California. Licklider and O’ Connor teamed in 2005 and the rest, as they say, is history…
From our perspective, this is a team with love for the old world, but with great understanding of the new world, from both a production and marketing standpoint. They create wines that are layered but accessible — that have old world substance and new world appeal.
Interestingly, LIOCO was recently written up as a producer to watch in the July 31st, 2008 issue of the Wine Spectator. While the capsule on them states that their Chards receive no new oak, it omits the fact that the white wines are completely unoaked, spending their entire pre-bottle lives in stainless tanks. Strange omission in our minds; in particular, James Laube’s note for the Lioco 2006 Sonoma County Chardonnay ascribes the wine a score of 90, praising its “light toasty oak notes” on the finish.
We wonder if Laube ascribed the oakiness to the wine because he liked it (and he assumes all Chards he likes receive oak treatment - NB, none of the Unoaked wines in the side-bar on page 58 received more than 89 points)? Or did he mix up his notes, printing Kistler copy in Lioco’s place by accident? We’re guessing the former, not the latter. Like the Rosés that never seem to garner a score of more than 89, unoaked Chards seem to have a glass ceiling for points in the Spectator.
Besides the white wines being unoaked, it’s important to note that the wines all undergo natural fermentation with only native and indigenous yeasts used. The reds do see oak treatment, but barrels are neutral for the most part, with no more than 10 to 15% new oak used in any one bottling. Also, the labels for these wines offer up all sorts of information, including brief tasting notes, and suggestions for food pairings. In fact, all the wines have a great acidic backbone to them, making them ideal for drinking alongside food.
Philosophically, we think this fits in with the old world/new world balancing act that Kevin and Matt have taken on, as the wines are expressions of new world terroir, but in a more old world context. This is something we dig about them.
Now for our impressions of the wines we tasted with the ‘OCO’ of LIOCO (we’ll be bringing in many of the wines to our shop, and you can order by clicking here):
2007 Sonoma County Chardonnay - This wine comes from three vineyard sites, in the Alexander Valley, Russian River, and Dry Creek areas of Sonoma County. It’s filled with really nice, pure fruit and doesn’t have any of the popcorn butter that can be found on so many Cali Chards at this price point ($20 a bottle). There’s nothing fake about it. The palate is dominated by lemon curd, with a tiny bit of petrol to round it out. A particularly long finish for a value wine, and quite refreshing. 6890 cases produced.
2006 Stuhlmuller Vineyard Chardonnay - Very different from the Sonoma County Chard, with Mott’s Apple Juice and some ginger on the nose and palate. The combo of spice and mineral that this wine lends is really pleasing, and the zip at the end just goes on and on. FYI, this went through full malo, but it began and was completed naturally. This is the bargain of the line-up at $25 a bottle, with a mere 468 cases produced.
2006 Charles Heintz Vineyard Chardonnay - The vineyard was subject to a botrytis attack, although the resulting wine here 100% dry, and not a sweetie as we normally associate with noble rot. The nose is really beautiful, with cooked honey and caramel coming through. The color is a golden honey, and all of this would seem to point to oak but we were assured by Kevin that none of the Lioco wines see oak. All of this was the vineyard and growing conditions of 2006 coming through in our glass! In the mouth, though the acidity level is less than the Stuhlmuller, the finish is one that lingers (long finishes seem to be a theme with the Lioco wines). This is a really interesting wine, albeit less our preferred style than the Stuhlmuller. $45 a bottle, only 332 cases produced.
2007 Rosé, California - What an amazing color this Rosé is, totally peachy in every way. This has a terrific mouthfeel, and we recommend it as a Rosé that red wine drinkers should be able to embrace. It’s grainy, possibly from the Carignane that makes up a portion of the blend (the dominant fruit is Pinot Noir). Again, great acid balanced with the fruit (peach and strawberry) make for a perfect wine that will suit drinkers long after the summer is over, though it’s completely refreshing in the sweltering weather. $16 a bottle, with a scant 227 cases produced.
2006 Michaud Vineyard Pinot Noir - Almost all of the oak for the Michaud Pinot Noir was neutral (10% or so was new). The ruby color on this gives a preview of the red fruit that dominates the wine, with raspberry and cherry really coming through. This has fantastic grittiness on the tongue, with the fruit and acid dancing almost like pop rocks (and we mean this in a good way, not as an indication of fakeness or volatility). This is drinkable now but when the acidity mellows out in a while, this should be dynamite-tastic! $45 a bottle, 311 cases produced.
2006 Hirsch Vineyard Pinot Noir - Cloudier than the Michaud, the Hirsch is much softer on the palate at the moment, and is drinking just beautifully (even so, we think we prefer the Michaud). It’s made from old vines, and the nose is pure spun sugar, cotton candy, red cherry Charms lollipop. If you were going to have one of the Lioco Pinots without food, this would win; with food, we’d choose the Michaud. $55 a bottle, 250 cases produced.
2006 Indica Red, Mendocino County - We admit we didn’t get the reference to the ‘other’ cash crop of Mendocino County until it was explained to us, but we’re just not that hip here at d547 (we’re not card carrying members of the “Farmacy” after all). The bold name of the wine matches its bold color. Just gorgeous, deep, crimson brick red. Who knew there was old vine Carignane lurking in California? Apparently, Kevin and Matt did…and they blended it with 13% Petite Sirah. The Indica is a biodynamic wine that got better for us with each sip. Kevin was kind enough to leave the bottle with us, and before we knew it, it was gone. $20 a bottle, 1860 cases produced.
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get your wine on
2008 “Bebame” Red, El Dorado County, California
Cabernet Franc (65%) and Gamay (35%) from - gasp - California! And only 13% ABV, pretty modest by California standards. If I tasted this blind I would probably have said it’s from the Loire Valley. It has pretty much nothing in common with the full bodied iterations of Cab Franc coming out of Napa. Juicy, light, delicious quaffing wine.$18 a bottle
2006 Telegramme Chateauneuf-du-Pape Rouge
Really balanced and smooth, this is a bargain of a Chateauneuf. Yeah, the 07s are lauded but what would I prefer to drink? This! It’s the second label of Vieux Telegraphe, from the same property but from younger vines. And it’s a deal at $33 a bottle.2006 or bust!
NV Barcino Cava: LA Times Wine of the Week!
Delicious and just in time for New Year’s Eve…this is the LA Times Wine of the Week, and we have plenty in stock. Order online, pick-up in-store!$14 a bottle!
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freshly pressed
The Business of Saying No:
No, I am not a natural wine merchant.
And no, I am also not not a natural wine merchant.
So what exactly is my store, Domaine LA? This is a tricky question that I try to answer here.
________
A couple of months back, I participated in the first annual Los Angeles Natural Wine Week, spearheaded by Lou Amdur of Lou Wine Bar. At that time, I took some heat from a few folks around the Internet who felt I might have been merely capitalizing on a trend and didn’t see me as a true natural wine merchant.
The thing is, I’ve never claimed to be a natural wine merchant. When I started my business online a few years ago, I stated plainly that I wanted to sell wines I loved. I was an enthusiast with a fairly receptive, wide-ranging palate, and I considered learning about wine a journey I would be going on alongside my customers. While I’ve since expanded my business to include a brick and mortar space, my self-conception and mission statement haven’t really changed. But my palate has.
To be absolutely blunt about it, I used to love wines that I simply can’t stomach anymore. There are blog posts archived on my website that in retrospect make me cringe, paragraphs singing the praises of some of the most blatantly manipulated wines in the world. I once criticized a wine bar for not having any Southern Hemisphere selections; it’s now my favorite spot in Los Angeles. And today I carry barely a dozen Southern Hemisphere SKUs myself.
By and large, my palate-shift is reflected in what I bring into the store. Chris Ringland and Mollydooker have been replaced by Eric Texier and Thierry Puzelat; the California fruit- and alcohol-bombs, for the most part, have given way to wines from La Clarine Farm, Donkey and Goat and LIOCO.
As a result of my largely obscure inventory, almost every day I’m faced with customers asking for items that I don’t stock. On a regular basis, I hear:
“Do you have Rombauer Chardonnay?”
No, I answer.
“Do you have Caymus?”
Afraid not, I reply.
“What about Blackstone Merlot?”
So sorry, but no.
“Where’s the Veuve Clicquot? This is a gift. I need the recipient to know it’s nice!”
Sigh.
Saying no to people sets up a potentially risky relationship that may start and end with that one exchange—many customers want what they want and aren’t open to alternative suggestions. In other cases, however, that simple “no” can be the beginning of something beautiful, a dialogue that winds up with a customer who came in looking for the Prisoner instead going home with something like Morgan Twain-Peterson’s Bedrock Heirloom Red, a wine which, while perhaps not 100% natural, is a more honest “made in the vineyard” (yes, I know this is also a cliché) version of what the Prisoner purports to be.
Of course, sometimes that customer really just wants the Prisoner. Which leads me to my major confession here: despite more than a bit of ambivalence, I continue to sell the Prisoner, along with other wines that are by no means natural, wines that are quite frankly manufactured. The Prisoner sits on the shelf right next to the Bedrock Heirloom Red, and for the time being, it will stay there. At least twice a week people come in asking specifically for this wine, and, for several reasons, it’s a request I’m not—yet—willing to deny.
Even though I no longer drink the Prisoner, there was a time–not too long ago–when I did so happily. When I first started getting interested in wine, it was a bottle that captured my imagination and helped launch me on the journey I remain committed to today. So maybe I keep the Prisoner around out of a sense of nostalgia. Or maybe I keep it around to remind me how far I’ve come. Maybe I keep it around hoping that for those who ask for it, it will simply be their starting place just as it was mine.
Or, more cynically, maybe I keep it around because people buy it. Maybe it’s a crutch to lean on when I’m too tired to hand-sell the less familiar items on my shelves. Seeing something recognizable is comforting to consumers, and that comfort somehow lends me credibility; credibility is a precedent to trust. Trust is what enables me to recommend something different to a customer who normally drinks the Prisoner.
In this sense, the Prisoner is of great value to me, not just as an easy sell, but even more so as a gateway to all the other wines I have available. I don’t know that I’d be able to move as much of the Bedrock, an unknown wine with a tiny case production, without the Prisoner right next to it.
______
Saying no is extremely hard. Right now, I’m willing to do so 90% of the time, maybe even 95%. Call me a coward or a fake if you want. But I know where I started out, and it’s been a logical evolution. And while I’m headed in a particular direction, guided by my palate, it’s safe to assume I won’t ever be a 100% “natural wine merchant.”
I like to think there’s room for somebody like me—somebody with confidence in her tastes, who also takes into account modes of production in buying decisions; someone who has a particular point of view, yet retains an inclusive attitude. I am strong in my opinions, and enthusiastic in my passions. I never judge my customers, and hope that they’ll be as open-minded and respectful of my offerings as I am of their preferences.
So far, it seems to be working out. In recent months, I’ve brought in only one case of the Prisoner (less than a thousandth of a percent of its total production) for every three cases of the Bedrock (1.3% of its total production).
So, what am I?
I’m not a natural wine merchant. And I’m not not a natural wine merchant.
I’m a work in progress. And I’m okay with that.
The Business of Saying No
Los Angeles Natural Wine Week: Taste California Terroir on 5/15/2010 at Heath Ceramics
Meet the Reps: Amy Atwood
wine jargon
Frizzante
From Wikipedia: Frizzante is an Italian wine term term for semi-sparkling wine (as opposed to Spumante, which is generally used for fully sparkling wines). Frizzante wines generally owe their bubbles to a partial secondary fermentation in tank. You might notice a light fizz or tingly sensation on the tongue with a Frizzante wine, compared to the more carbonated sensation that more fully sparkling wines yield.
Scorekage
Okay, so we made up this word yesterday after a great restaurant experience. We brought a bottle of wine with us, expecting to pay a corkage fee. But the restaurant either forgot to charge us the $15, or decided to be nice to us. We scored! Hence, “scorekage” has entered our lexicon. This can also refer to BYO friendly restaurants that don’t charge for corkage under any circumstances.
grapewise
DomaineLA Store Contact Info
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Hours are 11AM to 8PM, Monday through Saturday and noon to 5PM on Sundays.
Read more…Fabulous & Frugal!
Our friends launched a new site and domaine547 is a featured wine columnist in their premiere edition! Go check out Fabulous & Frugal for some fantastic lifestyle tips for living the good life during what, for most of us, is an economically challenging time. There’s much more than wine there, and we’re thrilled to be a small part of the start of what will surely be a successful venture. Congrats to Brandi & Steph for their achievement!
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domaine547 In the Blogosphere! Imbibe Magazine Unfiltered
July 17th, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Hey Jill,
Good to meet you the other day at WITS.
I’m assuming the “glass ceiling” for unoaked Chards is for California Chardonnay?
I’d imagine that some Chablis got over 90 points (in fact, just verified, using 90-plus Chablis winespectator on able grape; I’m guessing that most of these are unoaked, or use large, neutral oak).
Go unoaked whites!! Have to try the LIOCO wines; I haven’t yet had the pleasure.
July 17th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
Hi Doug,
Great meeting you as well! Yes, we meant Cali Chard not all…but I’d venture to guess that even Chablis that sees oak does better than Chablis that is 100% stainless. Of course this is purely a hunch and not at all based on any real analysis, though it would be interesting to see if my assumption is accurate.