2017 LIOCO Chardonnay Estero Russian River Valley 750 ml

Following a Burgundian Script in the Russian River

Today’s 2017 Lioco Estero Chardonnay from Sonoma’s Russian River Valley offers that rare combination of ripe California lemon-citrus fruit balanced by sheer Burgundian tension and minerality.

Lioco’s reputation as a producer of unique California wines has, without a doubt, eclipsed its charming founding story. This evolution is best embodied by Lioco’s new tasting room on the town square in Sonoma County’s new gourmet Mecca of Healdsburg, where, just steps away, newly-minted Michelin 3-star darling SingleThread offers a half-dozen Lioco wines. From coast to coast, the wines are hoarded by the best sommeliers in the country, including those at Michelin 1-Star the Farmhouse Inn, Sorrel, The Ordinary, and Jean-Georges. Add to that Lioco’s standing on Wine & Spirits magazine’s Top 100 Wineries in the world list, and it becomes obvious their wines are must-haves for summertime and the cellar.

Generous and mouth-filling, citrus-rich with Puligny-Montrachet minerality, the 2017 Estero defines why Lioco regularly steals the California Chardonnay spot on strict Michelin-star wine lists. 

The swanky location notwithstanding, some things have not changed at LIOCO, especially the fierce desire to avoid what Licklider considers the chief follies of California Chardonnay: boring soil and over-irrigation. "Ever eat a tomato that's red but has no taste?” he asks. “Chances are it got too much water. We look for dry-farmed, older vineyards, and for sites on the fringe: places where the vines have to struggle to get ripe. It's a risky proposition, but when the stars align, the wines can really dazzle you."

“Estero” is Spanish for Russian River, and in 2017, Licklider produced a Chardonnay as if his life depended on it, like he was competing with the best grower-producers in the Côte d’Or, treating Estero to his finest Burgundian script yet: From non-irrigated old Wente-clone vines, the 2017 Estero was barrel-fermented in neutral 600-liter oak barrels, underwent full malolactic conversation (adding creaminess), and aged in a combination of stainless steel and oak. If you’re familiar with the Burgundian whites of Roulot, Lafon, and Coche Dury, this is right up your alley.