2020 LIOCO Chardonnay Sonoma County 750 ml

For years, LIOCO has been crafting Chardonnays coveted by MICHELIN-starred restaurants and California white-wine lovers alike. Each one is a wonderfully nuanced reflection of LIOCO’s exceptional vineyard sites.

This 2020 is one of their most concentrated and complex Sonoma County bottlings ever. The Wine & Spirits Top 100 winery knitted this striking Chardonnay together from stellar sites across Sonoma—sites where ocean fog and drastic diurnal temperature swings allow grapes to develop depth of flavor while preserving fruit purity.

“This wine has great acidic structure,” proprietor Matt Licklider told us. “It’s profoundly mineral with almost no trace of oakiness, very Chablis-like.” Our first taste had us drawing the same comparison. Aromas of green apple, lemon pith, and chamomile accompany sharp acidity and limestone minerality that lingers on the palate over a long, cleansing finish.

That freshness and acidity—and a Burgundian orientation from the beginning—is what makes this wine so food-friendly, and what has put LIOCO on the tables of The French Laundry, SingleThread, Gramercy Tavern, and Union Square Cafe. 

Drought defined Sonoma’s 2020 vintage, leading to low yields that produced remarkably powerful wines. Tiny clusters of Chardonnay came off LIOCO’s vineyards with more concentration than Matt and his crew had seen in years. They rested the wine in neutral French oak to protect its minerality and bring the characteristics of each distinct vineyard site into balance.

“Many of the world’s great wine values are made by blending regional vineyards,” Matt said. “On California’s wild North Coast, this concept is especially resonant.” By carefully blending some of their most expressive sites, LIOCO has crafted a stunning mosaic of Sonoma terroir.