Matt Licklider and Kevin O’Connor’s 2008 Indica is an interesting blend of old-vine carignan (66%), mourvedre (25%), and petite sirah (9%). At the girl & the fig it’s sold by the glass and goes nicely with our fromage tower.
From the website: “The fruit was hand harvested, sorted and then fermented in stainless steel tanks using a wild yeast. Malolactic fermentation occurred naturally and finished completely. The wine remained in neutral French oak on fine-lees for 10-months and bottled without fining or filtration.”
“A selection of benchland vineyards in Mendocino’s redwood valley compose this wine. The fruit comes from predominately old-vines which are dry-farmed and head-pruned. This cool, upland valley supports gradual (and often late) ripening. The soil is red clay strewn with fist sized rocks. The combination of vine age, an extended growing season, and tougher soil conspires to produce complex, intense wines.”
About the proprietors:
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| Matt |
Matt Licklider-
A late bloomer, Matt had his wine epiphany during the winter of 1995 while waiting tables in Aspen, Colorado to support a ski habit. It was a blind taste of Chambolle Musigny and the eloquent comments of Master Sommelier Damon Ornowski that sent him reeling. In short order Matt went to work for Boulder-based, boutique wine distributor, The Maxwell Company where he soon became the leading sales person. In August of 2005, Matt co-founded LIOCO with friend and colleague, Kevin O'Connor. Matt lives in San Francisco with his wife, Anneka. Wine aside, his passions include yoga, surfing, skiing, and cooking dinner with friends.
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| Kevin |
Kevin O’Connor-
Kevin cut his teeth on the "Old World" white wines his parents use to put on the dinner table. They drank white Bordeaux and Alsatian Riesling, and in particular white Burgundies with revered village names like Chablis, Pouilly Fuisse and Rully.
After a series of high-profile sommelier positions, Kevin was hired as wine director at Spago-Beverly Hills in 2001. His experience as a sommelier and wine director inevitably drew him towards winemaking. In 2000, Kevin harvested four tons of Sauvignon Blanc grapes from Rancho Sisquoc in Santa Maria valley and under the tutelage of friendly wine-making veterans Seth Kunin (Kunin Wines) and Steve Clifton (Brewer-Clifton/Palmina) made his first cuvee of stainless- steel wine. The idea of making wine without the use of oak vessels was immediately intriguing to Kevin because it allowed the grape to express itself unmasked and unflavored. The non-reactive ability of stainless-steel seemed to suit this desire.
“Lioco is a fusion of our last names, Licklider and O'Connor. LI-cklider + OCO-nnor = LIOCO.”
Aroma: Cassis, graphite, kalamata olive Flavors of plum, baking spice, violet
Body: Medium
Cases produced: 2300
