2025 Lioco - Carignan Rose Mendocino County (750ml)

Lioco is now on the 17th installment of this rosé program, built around a selection of premier Mendocino County vineyards emphasizing dry-farming, older vines, and sustainable viticulture. This vintage draws on blocks of octogenarian, dry-farmed, head-trained Carignan, along with a few bins of Grenache Gris sourced from another winery's abandoned fruit.

To brighten and lighten the wine, the winemaking team stopped crushing the fruit before pressing, opting instead to whole-cluster press it directly, a new approach for this vintage that gives the rosé a distinctly different character than prior years. The abnormally cool 2025 growing season proved well suited to producing bright, vibrant wines.

The wine shows aromas of pink grapefruit, guava jelly, and white rose, with flavors of pickled strawberry, candied orange peel, and nectarine pit. In the glass it's a delicate, pale pink, with a bright, lively palate carried by refreshing acidity and subtle minerality, finishing long and satisfying with soft, well-integrated texture.

This rosé pairs beautifully with a salmon burger, salad Niçoise, or fig and burrata toast.