Lioco Wine and Shopping Small

It was 2006. We had just opened Rosso Wine Shop in the Fall of that year. We were starting to get our footing soon after; ordering the right wines for us. We opened with every distributor known to man (to be a useful source for our growing customer base). 

In 2007 word was starting to spread. A customer called one day and told me about this unbelievable Chardonnay from the Heintz Vineyard that she had at Spago. She said it was entirely delicious and unique. Our interest was picqued. Days later we were paid a visit by Kevin O'Connor. At the time he was Sommelier at Spago. But on the side he had started producing this wine called Lioco with partner Matt Licklider. They were on their second vintage with this wine (the first probably didn't have very much to distribute). We tasted through through the wines together and then we happily jumped on the the Lioco train.

The wines were fresh and modestly priced for their quality. The labels were tasteful (a consideration for retail) and they were a perfect fit for us. Kevin was the "boots on the ground" back then for Lioco. He has since opened his own restaurant in Santa Monica called Aestus (go visit). Matt Licklider has his own wine background as national sales director of North Berkeley Imports (prior to Lioco); which is how they met. Now I see Matt more often but the wine hasn't changed, in fact, it has only gotten better.

This is why you want to shop at a small retailer. We have "OCD for wine." We get to discover great stuff early (sometimes later too) but we foster long-going relationships with people we like to support. And when I say we taste hundreds of wines every year to select the best, you can know that we stand behind that.

Try the new Lioco wines, now in their tenth vintage!
All wines available at Rosso Wine Shop.

2013 Lioco Chardonnay Sonoma County $21.99

2012 Lioco Carignan Sativa Mendocino County $27.99

2012 Lioco Pinot Noir Laguna Sonoma Coast $37.99

Parm Crack with MilkFarm

Parmigiano-Reggiano wheel cutting at Rosso Wine Shop

People say it is unique and not many get to actually experience it. Well, we did.

We partnered with our friends at Milkfarm in Eagle Rock. Leah Fierro and Jacob Rodriguez came to enlighten us on the background of the wheel and the process to make and get it. Then post-crack we were able to sample the amazingly fresh Parmigiano.

 

EaterLA wrote about it. We sold out very quickly. 40 lucky people got to witness it (at least 25 were on a wait list). Good fun was had by all.

Oh, and the smell of the room once the wheel was opened... unbelievable!

We paired sparkling wines from the same region of Emilia-Romagna.

2011 Donati Malvasia dell'Emilia Frizzante

2012 Donati Barbera dell'Emilia Frizzante

2012 Donati Lambrusco dell'Emilia Frizzante

Glasses lined up for Lambrusco

Parm close-up

Leah explaining the process

The wheel and the tools

The crack

The luscious interior

All photos by Wes Chilton. Thank you Wes!

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How Did You Get Into Wine?

"How did you get into wine" is a question I am asked quite a lot, especially from someone who is new to the shop and curious. It is never really the same exact story but more of a narrative that gets me to the place where I am today. But this morning I thought of one experience that I had that is representative of the thread that connects the multiple stories and that encapsulates my feeling about the discovery.

The year was 1993 and I was still in my twenties. I was on tour with punk rock group Jeff Dahl Band. We were playing 58 shows in about 62 days and all over Europe. It was my first trip to Europe and I got to go to just about every country I ever wanted to, in one fell swoop. Our regimen was; find our tour headquarters in each country and then meet up with our road manager. From there we made our way to each venue. Met with our sound crew. Set up. Did some sound checking. And then we usually had some time before the gig. If it was still light out we could check out the city center or some sights, if we had enough time. Generally we would be taken out to dinner around that point too or the club people would arrange something. Then a few hours later we would rock. Break down. Load out. And repeat 58 more times.

By the time we arrived to Italy about 3/4 of the way through the tour we were all pretty wrecked. It was a grueling tour. A lot of miles. But I remember we arrived in the little beach town on the side of the Adriatic called Cesenatico in the Emilia-Romagna region. We were to be playing a sort of water park gig. Odd sounding yes, but consistent with some of the odd venues we had encountered from time to time. After our usual sound check the club people were excited to take us out to dinner at their favorite local trattoria. We sat down to a humble meal of local delicacies, wine and beer. Of course everything was delicious but I remember distinctly my first experience with Tortelini en Brodo. A simple but satisfying dish. The pasta had a great bite to it and the broth was flavorful and nourishing. With that came our carafes of white and red wine. Not important what they were but how good they were together. The idea of "local" took hold as I looked around the table. Everyone was having a great time and everything at our table was crafted within a stone's throw of where we sat.

Since those days I talk a lot about "if it grows together then it likely goes together" and of course other people have thought of that before me, but on that day in Cesenatico, in 1993, the "how I got into wine story" was germinated.

The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis: Cult wines and special guest Scott Kannberg

Holiday Episode of the Tasting Room with Tom Leykis.  

Jeff Zimmitti of Rosso Wine Shop and Scott Kannberg of the band Spiral Stairs and Pavement join Tom Leykis on the Tasting Room to drink and discuss cult wines; road stories, touring with a rock band and discovering wine.

We broke out the big guns for the holidaze with Tom! I brought a few "mailing list" wines that I have, an older Kosta Browne Pinot Noir and a recent release Saxum. And Scott brought a Schrader and Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon. All these wines are scarce, top scoring and highly sought after.

Let's try 'em. Why not?

Listen here: tastingroomwithtom

via an online stream, iTunes or TuneIn

Kosta Browne, Saxum, Schrader, Vine Hill Ranch

Some reviews and notes:

2005 Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Kanzler Vineyard
(96 Points: Wine Spectator) "There are restrained aromas here, yet the flavors build gracefully. Juicy, with vivid, layered wild berry, raspberry, cherry and floral scents. Deep, complex and ending with a laser-beam focus. 255 cases made."

**In 2011 the Kosta Browne Pinot Noir Sonoma Coast 2009 was named Wine Spectator wine of the year.

2011 Saxum Red Blend Paderewski Vineyard
(96 Points: Wine Advocate) "Much more sexy and voluptuous, the 2011 Paderewski Vineyard (34% Zinfandel, 31% Mourvedre, 16% Tempranillo, 10% Syrah and 9% Petite Sirah) delivers loads of black and blue fruits, spice, incense, chocolate and pan dripping-like savoriness to go with a full-bodied, decadently styled mouthfeel. Small production."

**In 2010 the Saxum James Berry Paso Robles 2007 was named named Wine Spectator wine of the year.

2009 Schrader Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard
(95 Points: Wine Spectator) "Intense and multifaceted, exhibiting dense, detailed currant, spice, chocolate brownie, crème de cassis and mocha flavors. Focused and persistent, building depth and gaining length. 375 cases made."

**Thomas Rivers Brown-winemaker. Oakville fruit. Major scores including multiple 100 points.

2011 Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
(94 Points: Wine Advocate) "The 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon is just as impressive as it was when I tasted it six months ago. Tar, smoke, melted road tar and black fruit all come to life in this powerful, brooding wine. For the first time, the Vine Hill Ranch Cabernet includes a dollop of Petit Verdot, which gives the wine a little more backbone and gravitas. Super-impressive."

**Antonio Galloni/Vinous: I can’t say enough about the work the Phillips family has done with the first four vintages of VHR, Vine Hill Ranch.

October Supper Club with Italian Flavors

This last Supper Club was a blast. I asked chef to come up with some Italian-inspired flavors but without being too obvious. He came up with a fresh and flavorful four courses to which I paired the wines, sourced from all over Italy.

Excellent food by chef Matthew Roberts and the wine pairings worked out well. As usual, a good time was had by all.

First course: Seared tuna, citrus salad, castelveltrano olives, capers

Second course: Roasted pumpkin soup, ginger oil, pepitas, crostini

Third course: Wild mushroom polenta, parmesan (x2), pine nut, arugula

Fourth course: Tomato braised pork shank, cannellini beans, house-cured pancetta, gremolata

Wines: (1) Frascati, (2) Valpolicella, (3) Colline Novaresi, (4) Bolgheri

Full menu with wine $60 per person

chef Matthew Roberts describing the dishes

To sign up for the invitation list, visit our website: www.rossowineshop.com

Farmer's Markets and Corkage Fee List

We enjoy Farmer's Markets. And we like to bring special wines out to restaurants on occasion.

Did you know we have a complete list of the Farmer's Markets in Los Angeles on our website? Yes, we do.

Take a look: Farmer's Markets

And we also regularly update a page for Corkage Fees throughout Los Angeles' restaurants as well.

That list can be found here: Corkage Fees

Summer Corn Supper Club

This Supper Club we celebrated Summer corn! We had some blackened corn, some popcorn, some succotash, some corn grits and corn bread pudding mixed into each course respectively. 

Fresh. Delicious. Summer. Chef Michael Ruiz at the helm.

The Wines.

Menu.

1st Course
poke / agave / pineapple / blackened corn
wine: 2013 Chateau L’Eperonniere Rosé de Loire, France

2nd Course
smoked sockeye / succotash / radish / arugula
wine: Drew Family Cellars Pinot Noir Suitcase Clones, California

3rd Course
brisket / belly / grits / greens
wine: 2010 Ardevol Priorat Anjoli, Spain

4th Course
corn bread pudding / pickled strawberries / chili chocolate
dessert wine: 2012 Conte Vistarino Sangue di Giuda Costiolo Lombaria, Italy

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