Lioco Indica Red Table Wine 2023

Lioco Indica Red Table Wine 2023

The 2023 is now bottled and it, like so many of our 2023s shows the once-in-ten-years fruit quality that this vintage will soon be known for. It is a blend of three historic Mendocino ranches—some dry-farmed, 1940s Carignan from Bartolomei (Talmage) and 1960s McCutchen (Pine Mountain), plus a healthy dollop of rare 1940s Valdiguie from Lolonis (Redwood Valley). We rocked 50% whole cluster, with two tanks going through carbonic maceration. Further, we pressed the juice off the skins early and “went to barrel sweet” to highlight the crunchy freshness of this wine. The result is chillable, medium weight red—with some grip—that reminds of us Cote de Brouilly but is unabashedly Californian.

Composed from three historic Mendocino County ranches—two on the valley floor, one at high elevation—all with heritage dry-farmed, head-trained Carignan + Valdiguie vines. Soils range from red clay (valley) to hard scrabble rocky (mountain). These rapidly vanishing California grapes harken back to the Golden State’s earliest winemaking efforts.