Lioco Skycrest Vineyard Chardonnay
VINTAGE: 2018
WINE TYPE: White
VARIETAL: Chardonnay
COUNTRY: USA
REGION: California
APPELLATION: Anderson Valley
SIZE: 750ml
Lioco was conceived in the alley behind Spago Beverly Hills by wine director Kevin O’Connor and wine salesman Matt Licklider. The year was 2001 and the two colleagues, critical of the heavy-handed wines of the day, wondered if it were possible to make some local wines that favored nuance over sheer power. In 2005, relying on nothing more than their palates and their rolodexes, the two embarked on a winemaking odyssey. We think they succeeded.
The Skycrest vineyard sits at 2500 feet just above Highway 128 producing a beautiful Chardonnay that reminds us of Puligny-Montrachet. The aromatics scream wet stone, minerality, match stick, vanilla, toasted oak and a bit of peach. The acidity on the palate is strong with notes of oak, caramel vanilla bean and pine nuts.