While in NYC I attended a free tasting at Burgundy Wine Company with jazz musicians playing in the background.
The tasting featured wines from Lioco, a joint venture of Matt Licklider, a wine import specialist, and Kevin O'Connor, wine director at Spago's in Beverly Hills. Matt was on hand. They call Lioco a "virtual winery" because they don't own a winery or any vineyards. "Rather, we cultivate long-term relationships with conscientious grape growers, rent wine making facilities, and hire capable cellar masters to execute our vision."
We tasted about four or five Chards and a Pinot Noir. I liked a couple of the Chards but my favorite was the 2006 one from Charles Heintz Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, which I found rich and opulent without being overly buttery. My real favorite of the tasting however was the 2005 Lioco Chalone Michaud Vineyard Pinot Noir. It was very nice with bright strawberry color, light to medium body and a refreshing berry flavor. After slowly sipping it while sitting on a comfortable couch and leafing through a library of wine journals and books, I wanted to try a second pour to take notes on it but the bottle was almost gone and, understandably, they wanted to save the last bit for someone who hadn't yet tried it. A name to watch. (Did I get there before Tom Hill or has he already tried Lioco wines?)
Forgot to add that the Chardonnays are fermented in stainless steel--no oak.