2023 LIOCO Carignan McCuctchen Ranch Vyd. Mendocino

We first visited Pine Mountain in 2011, led there by Napa viticulturist Mark Neal, who told us about old timer Jim McCutchen and his head-trained Carignan vines growing in rocky, high-elevation soils above a rock quarry. Halfway up the dusty road, Jim appeared in a rickety ATV full of dogs. I snapped a photo-something told me this was the start of something special. Jim grumbled "no photo of me is gonna help you boys sell wine," but he was dead wrong; he and the vineyard were the real deal. Over time, we grew deeply connected to the McCutchens and their ranch, often bringing collaborators, journalists, and friends who were all struck by its authenticity. In 2023, we dropped the Sativa reference, and rebranded the wine McCutchen Ranch, Pine Mountain-Cloverdale Peak to reflect its true origin.