2014 LIOCO Sativa Carignan Mendocino County 750 ml

Chez Panisse and "The Black Silhouette" on Pine Mountain 

After spending years drinking Kermit Lynch’s Languedoc-Roussillon reserve-level Carignans at Chez Panisse, Matt Licklider developed something of an obsession with the variety. This fixation with uber-concentration and laser-like acidity would take him and his LIOCO partner, Kevin O’Connor, on a 140,000-mile, 10-year hunt for the finest cool-climate site on the North Coast.

In Q2 of 2016, we had dinner with Matt at Chez Panisse, Alice Waters’ foodie haven in the Berkeley hills. Matt told us the story of how he found the dry-farmed, old-vine Carignan vineyard perched at 2,500 feet — and how he met “The Black Silhouette” on Pine Mountain.

“He came rumbling down the hill on his ATV with three dogs barking from the back seat. When I saw his size, I wondered if he was half mountain himself. He shook our hands and began to tell us about his rugged, extreme property. You could hear the age in his voice after all of those years up on the mountain, but I swear, I think he could’ve broken all of the bones in my hand with one squeeze. It was clear that even at 85 years of age, he was still young at heart and as committed as ever to the responsible stewardship of his farm. He told Kevin and I about how he’d hand-planted the Carignan in 1968 using ‘one horse and a couple of willing neighbors.’ The rocky soil, steep slopes, and drastic diurnal shifts would have been challenging for a well-equipped vineyard crew, and here he was — going it ALONE!”

“I asked if I could take his picture,” Matt continued. “He told us his face wouldn’t help us sell any wine!”

It doesn’t sound like we’ll get to fill in the blanks; the octogenarian “Black Silhouette” of Pine Mountain doesn’t take visitors.

Licklider and O’Connor’s cool-climate Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are no secret to the top sommeliers, having found their way onto wine lists at The French Laundry, Jean-Georges, Gary Danko, and Michael Mina. That evening at Chez Panisse, as Waters’ spit-roasted pork loin and seasonal vegetables came out, Licklider revealed his obsessed-over old-vine Carignan, sourced from 2,500 feet up on Pine Mountain. The experience gave us a whole new perspective on the variety. All 140,000 miles of that drive had clearly been worth it.

Deep purple, nearly opaque to the rim, the LIOCO 2014 “Sativa” Carignan is an intense showing of Asian spices, exotic herbs, and clean red berries bursting from the glass. Concentrated and juicy on the attack, black and blue fruits explode onto the palate with chiseling and mouthwatering acidity.

92 points from Antonio Galloni. $30 on release. $16/glass at Chez Panisse. $24.99/bottle for WineAccess members this morning ONLY. Shipping included on 6.