Iconic

California, USA


At a Glance
  • Iconic was founded by Birk O’Holloran a NYC wine veteran and his business prtner Karl Antle
  • The two met in college and quickly discovered their shared, nerdy obsessions for whiskey and comics
  • Their obsession gave birth to Iconic Wines and the desire to produce wines in a style they liked to drink and didn’t break the bank
  • The Sidekick wines (Cabernet, Chardonnay and Merlot) are wines that tend to have a toe in Europe with brighter, elevated acidity and clean, fresh fruit profiles
  • In addition to Sidekick, Iconic also makes small amount of Michael Mara vineyard Chardonnay and Heroine Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands
Iconic Wines is the brain child of Birk O'Halloran and Karl Antle.  The pair met in college and quickly became great friends bonding over their mutual love for whiskey, witty banter and all things nerdy.  The idea behind the creation of Iconic Wine was a commitment to making the kind of wine Birk and Karl liked to drink: wines that have balance, focus, and complexity while showing a strong connection and pride for the place from which they come. They do this by enlisting the help of giants and fearlessly pursuing any means to assist them in reaching their goal. "Dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants" is a Western metaphor, one who develops future intellectual pursuits by understanding the research and works created by notable thinkers of the past. This is the founding philosophy of Iconic Wines' Hero Series.  They strive to make the best wines possible and do this by enlisting the help of giants in the industry.  

The Hero Series was envisioned with one idea in mind, to make great wine.  The wine industry can be full of dogma and borderline superstition and it can be easy to become trapped in one way of thinking, but by working with talented people from different backgrounds Iconic forces themselves to stay open minded to a variety of production techniques and wine styles.  As they expand the series, and partner with different wine makers and vineyard managers, they hope to apply the lessons learned to increase the quality of their wines as a whole.  So what makes great wine?  Great wines have to be balanced, focused and most importantly they have to taste good!

The Sidekick series from Iconic Wine represents the finest wine they could create at everyday drinking value. Iconic works with multiple vineyard sources from around northern California, as far north as Anderson Valley to as far south as Lodi. This allows them to pull the best fruit for the price depending on the vintage and create a trustworthy wine that’s a perfect companion to your day to day adventures. Iconic was founded on a love of Chardonnay. It was the very first wine produced, and they are very picky when it comes to this great grape. Their flagship Chardonnay, Heroine, is a wine sourced from Sonoma County and places it’s focus on being fresh with bright fruit and minerality.