About LIOCO
LIOCO is a portmanteau of founding partners' names — Li from Matt Licklider and O'Co from Kevin O'Connor, their surnames compressed into a four-letter word that sounds like it might be Italian but is actually a California founders' abbreviation. The natural wine philosophy is central to the label: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir made without new oak, without manipulation, with natural yeast and minimal intervention.
The Sonoma Coast and Mendocino Ridge sourcing focuses on the most dramatically maritime vineyard sites in California — the cold-wind, fog-heavy zones where Chardonnay and Pinot Noir develop the tension, minerality, and natural acidity that the LIOCO philosophy requires. The no-new-oak Chardonnay program in particular has attracted a dedicated following among sommeliers and collectors who prefer their California white wine without the vanilla and toast that new oak produces.
Wine Advocate has scored LIOCO's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir at 90–94 points.