Last year, we featured Icy Liu’s first wines: a thoughtful release of Gamay rosé and red. This second vintage expands to Pinot Noir, reflecting her found roots in Burgundy.

Details on the full release below, plus insight on what makes her work so fascinating.

Yes, we have another micro-négociant for you 🤗 But, this one’s a touch more personal. Icy is not just a member of this growing group of natural producers adding dimension to who and what Burgundy represents – she’s also a friend of the shop.

What’s always struck me about Icy is that she is so inquisitive – but truly, in the most genuine way. She always has an incredibly thoughtful question to ask, no matter who she is talking to; it's so refreshing.

It’s a quality that’s taken her from being interested in wine; to attending culinary school for a massive educational foundation (where we met – R.I.P. ICC!); to harvest in the FLX and grazing NYC’s retail scene; and finally, a fearless move to Burgundy. In true form, she quickly achieved a Wine MBA from the Burgundy School of Business, and Oenology Diploma from University of Burgundy.

This is where I know she’d be too humble to name drop, so I’ll do it for her: working for Becky Wasserman. Harvests and vineyard work with Claire Naudin, Fred Mugnier, Tomoko Kuriyama, David Croix, Chartogne-Taillet, Kyoko and Yoshi Sato. Making her first vintage in Chris Santini’s cellar. Befriending Basti Wolber and, I’m guessing, every vineyard pup in Burgundy.

Icy in her element; photo via @icy_liu_

It’s this tireless pursuit of knowledge that’s organically brought her to fascinating places (and, people). She is a walking collection of insights from so many of the world’s best winemakers, sommeliers, importers, retailers, growers.

This staggering array of perspectives is exactly what makes this micro-négoce generation so very fascinating. And! Delicious.

– Carolyn Negri, Director of Marketing

THE WINES

This is all organic fruit, fermented 100% whole cluster, minimal sulfites as needed. Full of warmth, spice, and nuanced aromatics; Icy’s style is most heavily inspired by her work with Chanterêves and Claire Naudin:

“Not only do I love their wines, but also their approach: undogmatic, with decisions guided by feeling and taste, yet grounded in science.” – Icy Liu

Labels are designed by Sylvie Luccisano (whose work also graces bottles of Les Horées and Chanterêves); inspired by Chinese landscape paintings and a favorite Bruce Lee quote, “Be like water.”

2023 Icy Liu 'Apinost' VDF Rouge $56
Gamay from a single plot of old vines (planted 1935, 1972) in Saint-Germain-Nuelles, where Beaujolais edges Auvergne. Fermented whole cluster with gentle "pump over" via buckets (a la Saisons!). Pressed to 228L barrel and stainless steel, 8 months of élevage. No fining or filtration, minimal sulfur used during vinification. 766 bottles.

2023 Icy Liu Bourgogne 'Doudou Tu Viens', Burgundy $70
Pinot Noir from the village Buisson on Ladoix-Serrigny; notably, at the foot of the hill of Corton, which lends a touch of grip. A mix, planted in the 1940s and 2008. Whole cluster fermentation, with bucket "pump overs" and a week in, punch downs. Pressed to used barrel, 8-10 months élevage. No fining or filtration, touch of sulfur added at bottling. (The name is a play on words that translates roughly to "Where do you come from?" with 'doudou' being another word for a child's lovey.) 591 bottles. 

2023 Icy Liu Fleurie 'San Sou Si', Beaujolais $73
Gamay from 'Les Fonds,' a densely planted (10K vines/ha) pink granite single plot in Fleurie planted 1950-1980. Vinified very similarly to 'Doudou': whole cluster fermentation, with bucket "pump overs" and about a week in, punch downs. Pressed to used barrel, 8-10 months élevage. No fining or filtration, touch of sulfur added at bottling. The name translates to "without worries," a nod to the fermentation this vintage. 594 bottles.

2023 Icy Liu 'Je T'ai Apporté Un Caillou', Savigny-lès-Beaune, Burgundy $100
Pinot Noir from 'Aux Fourches,' another densely-planted (10K vines/ha) single site in Savigny-lès-Beaune planted in 1974; the soil here is part of an alluvial fan, with limestone and rounded cobbles. Fermented whole cluster, again with bucket "pump overs" and punch downs about a week in. Pressed to used barrel and aged 8-10 months. No fining or filtration, touch of sulfur added at bottling. The name translates to "I brought you a stone," a nod to the gravelly soil's journey from further up the valley.

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