2024 Kick On Ranch Vineyard Gruner Veltliner, Santa Barbara County

AROMA
finger lime, tangerine oil, honeysuckle
FLAVOR
green apple, fresh oregano, wet stone
FOOD PAIRINGS
potato leek chowder, bratwurst & kraut, tempura'd vegetables

Kick On Ranch! This place has really challenged us. First off, it's far
from our base of operations in Sonoma County. About a 6-hour drive
from the winery. Second, there hasn't been a full time dedicated
crew out there so getting timely reports and samples can be difficult.
We have been relying on our friend Graham Tatomer's good will to
peel off a few bins when possible. He was the visionary who selected
this cold, windy site just north of Vanderberg Air Force Base and we
always respect the chain of command! A couple of challenging
vintages saw us skipping vintages outright (once due to extremely
low yields, and again due to a early rain / botrytis bloom). In vintage
2024, all the stars aligned and we brought home some remarkably
clean fruit with ideal chemistry. We liked the wine so much in fact
that we asked Graham to faciliate a meeting with the property
owners and a path to our own grape contract at Kick On. In the
spring 2025, the grafts went in. LIOCO now has 1-acre of Gruner
that is ours. The future (and this wine) are bright!