2014 Chardonnay (Sonoma County)

This is a terrific set of wines from Lioco, a project headed by Matt Licklider and Kevin O'Connor. Winemaker John Raytek shows a deft hand at Lioco, where he makes the wines in a slightly fleshier style than he does at Ceritas, his own label. Raytek describes 2013 as having more structure than 2014 for Pinot Noir, as 2013 was the first year of the drought cycle and vines naturally self-regulated. I am not sure I would agree with that view across the board, but the 2013s and 2014s are of very similar quality here, something that is quite rare among the producers I visited. There are quite a few changes to the lineup, including the introduction of Sativa, an old-vine Carignan from dry-farmed vineyards in Mendocino and Caleta, a Syrah from the Santa Cruz Mountains. Best of all, the Lioco wines continue to deliver considerable bang for the buck.