LIOCO is the epitome of the small California producer movement. A dedicated team of less than a dozen individuals based in Healdsburg, LIOCO sources pristine fruit from a small selection of vineyards ranging from Santa Barbera to Mendocino– spanning 400 miles of pristine coastline.

The project was started in 2005 by Matt Licklider and Kevin O’Connor. Experts in the field at the time, Matt was a wine salesman, while Kevin was the former wine director at Spago. They noticed they were encountering in the market seemed over-saturated and lacked nuance, and wanted to change that narrative.  Their project LIOCO, a play on the original founders’ two last names, sought to run counter to the heavier styles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay produced throughout California. The wines of Burgundy serve as inspiration, but so do the more restrained styles of California wines that dominated the winemaking landscape of the 1970s and 1980s. 

Now run by husband and wife duo Matt and Sarah Licklider, with Drew Huffine serving as executive winemaker, LIOCO remains dedicated to showcasing the purity of California fruit along with the intricacies and uniqueness of the Golden State’s climates and terroirs. The focus on picking these select vineyards is considering the ones with older vines (like the 70-year old Lolonis Sauvignon Blanc vines), unique soil expressions, and distinctive heritage clones.