Winemaker Notes
Pair this wine with wild king salmon, slow braised pork shoulder or a lamb burger.
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
One of America's top artisan Pinot Noirs, the active and bright 2015 Lioco La Selva Pinot Noir shows outstanding fruit and lovely complexity. The wine deftly combines New World fruit with the Old World nuances. The wine's vivid red fruit, perky minerality, and savory spices pair it famously with braised meats. (Tasted: October 5, 2017, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
In 2015, the Lioco team focused their Anderson Valley appellation wine more squarely on the cool Deep End of the valley, dropping a mid-valley vineyard and basing the blend around the Romani and Wentzel vineyards, which are heavily influenced by coastal influx. (Some Cerise fruit, from a windy hillside vineyard above Booneville, also made the blend.) This is a fragrant, delightful Anderson Valley pinot noir, with racy dark-cherry fruit and coniferous tang, sunny, silky, earthen and irresistibly juicy.
Anderson Valley, located in Mendocino County just above Sonoma County, is one of California’s coolest AVAs, allowing it a long growing season. Only 15 miles long, the region makes a slice eastward through the mountains, from the frigid Pacific Ocean. Dramatic diurnal temperature variations here preserve grape acidity and thus freshness in the finished wines. These are prime conditions for growing Pinot Noir, and the valley produces many fine versions. Characteristics of Anderson Valley Pinot Noir typically include crisp acidity, cranberry and strawberry notes as well as earthy notes of forest floor and mushroom.
Still Pinot Noir, however, is only part of the story. Pinot Noir, along with Chardonnay, are also grown for Anderson Valley’s exceptional sparkling wines. Produced via the traditional method, these offer a classic toasty note from lees aging, bright, complex fruit notes and a clean, refreshing character.