Lioco Mendocino Pinot Noir 2024

Wine Type: Red
Vintage: 2024
Bottle Size: 750ml
Grape Variety: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Mendocino County
Country: United States
Region: Mendocino County, California
Producer: LIOCO Wine Co.
Winemaker: Drew Huffine
Vineyard: Peterson, Costa, Cole Ranch, Edmeades, Pauli, Skycrest, and Blue Oaks vineyard sources across Mendocino County
Soil: Varied Mendocino County vineyard soils
Farming: Sourced with an emphasis on dry-farming, older vines, and sustainable viticulture
Alcohol: 13.6%
Fermentation: Hand-harvested and sorted; open-top fermentation with 15% whole clusters; manual cap management over 14–16 days
Aging: 10 months in a mix of neutral oak and stainless steel barrels; bottled July 22, 2025

Tasting Note:
LIOCO’s 2024 Mendocino Pinot Noir is bright, aromatic, and distinctly coastal in feel. It opens with boysenberry, sour red cherry, red plum, violet, dried sage, red licorice, nutmeg, and a touch of foresty spice. The palate is fresh and medium-light in body, with lifted acidity, gentle whole-cluster structure, and a savory mineral edge from the mix of inland, Anderson Valley, Cole Ranch, and near-coast Mendocino sites. It is polished enough for dinner, but still lively and easy to drink with a slight chill.

About the Producer:
LIOCO was founded in 2005 by Matt Licklider and Kevin O’Connor with the goal of making more restrained, site-driven California wines. Today, Matt and Sara Licklider run the winery with winemaker Drew Huffine, sourcing from small, family-owned vineyards across California rather than estate-owned vines. The style is built around sustainable, organic, and biodynamic vineyard sources, native-leaning fermentations, restrained oak, and low-intervention cellar work, with a focus on freshness, texture, and place over heaviness or polish.