2015 LIOCO Laguna Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast

Vegas’ Hottest Restaurant’s Obsession

Named one of Wine & Spirits “Top 100 Wineries of the Year” LIOCO is the product of founders Matt Licklider and Kevin O’Connor who are fueled by a relentless search for meticulously farmed cool-climate vineyards in the Sonoma Coast. So, consider this: David Chang’s Momofuku at the Uber trendy Cosmopolitan Hotel is the hottest restaurant to hit the Las Vegas strip and only high rollers can secure a table. The wine list boasts a tight collection of the best boutique producers from all over the world. Every supplier in town is fighting tooth and nail for a placement there. Their Pinot Noir by-the-glass? This 2015 LIOCO 2015 Laguna Pinot Noir —  one of hottest boutique Pinot Noirs from Northern California’s Golden Coast. In the state’s fourth-consecutive year of drought, tiny, tiny yields of Martini Clone Pinot Noir from John Balletto’s vineyard on Burnside Road next to Littorai delivered a power-packed blockbuster dripping with red-fruit purity, savory spice and structure for miles. “Clean and racy” and “refreshing” boasts Wine & Spirits while Vinous found it “bright, gracious” and packing a “lovely sense of precision.” We peeled away 120 cases from big-time restaurants so you could enjoy many bottles at $37.99. Thank us later.

Matt Licklider and Kevin O’Connor knew they were going to become one of America’s hottest cult Chardonnay and Pinot Noir brands. How? They studied the Sonoma-Cutrer chapters of the history books. They’d realized that Brice Jones’s strict policy of prohibiting wholesalers from selling his now famous “Les Pierres” to retailers, preferring to develop the winery’s brand at the top restaurants in America — was key to success. So, after scouring the Golden Coast for cold vineyard sites where Chardonnay and Pinot Noir bunches are still hanging in the first week of October, they took a page from Brice Jones’s blueprint and hit the restaurant trail. The rest is history.

The 2015 LIOCO Laguna Pinot Noir is the poster-child for their impeccable efforts to source only the best, extreme cool-climate fruit. And 2015’s prolonged drought led to extremely small yields in the Sonoma Coast, but the fruit sourced from Goldridge and the biodynamically-farmed Teac Mor were virtually dripping with graceful fog-caressed character. All that’s left is for you to see for yourself.

• ABV 12.90%
• Enjoy right away
• Drink Up
• % Pinot Noir
• Serving temperature – 61°
• Cork