Lionheart Wines
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Published Reviews of Lionheart Wines

Wine Competitions

2012 Romancing the Rhone Shootout Competition
Lionheart Wines 2008 Syrah, Santa Barbara County
Female: Meaty, smoky aromas with lavender, berries and olives. Flavors of black olives, Worcestershire, RC cola, soy and black tea. Good acid and lots of wood. 88
Male: Slightly musty and briary, with dill, forest floor, currant and leather. Black fruits, pepper, dried currants, red plums, hints of dill and dried Italian herbs. Nice oak on finish. 90 Lionheart Wines

2007 Syrah, Dry Creek Valley
Female: The nose is shy at first opening to blackberry and coffee. Spicy blackberry and blueberry flavors with coffee notes on the finish. 87
Male: Here’s a Syrah for food lovers with good balance and structure. Aromas of smoky Briarwood and cherry. Applewood flavors on the zesty finish. 91

Lionheart Wines 2008 Angel’s Fare Saralee’s Vineyard White Blend Russian River Valley
Female: Delicate aromas of stone fruits, green apple, fennel, spice, butterscotch, and bananas foster, with hints of fruitcake. Mouthfeel is round with good viscosity, and flavors of banana-mango flan with a rich brown sugar topping, peaches, spice, and a nice lemon peel finish. 90
Male: Nose of ripe Meyer lemon, earth, honeysuckle. and nuttiness. Mouthfeel good with decent acid, juicy fruit, almonds, toast. and bananas on the finish. Overall a simple, luscious summer wine. 90
 

2010 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
2008 The Angel's Fare, Saralee's Vineyard, white Rhone Blend, Russian River - Bronze Medal
2007 Syrah, Dry Creek Valley - Bronze Medal
2007 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley - Bronze Medal 

2009 Cabernet Shootout -- 93 points and 4 hearts (top rating or "love at first sip")!

Female comments:
"Intense berry almost candylike aromas.  The palate is meaty with oak accents.  The finish is loaded with tannins.  This is a young wine that will age beautifully.  Enjoy this with lamb burgers or a grilled ham and gruyere sandwich with sweet & hot mustard."

2009 San Fransisco Chronicle Wine Competition results -- a gold and a bronze medal for Lionheart Wines!

Lionheart Wines received the following medals:

We are very proud of our 2007 Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir!  It tastes great now but will be fantastic with 12 to 36 months of bottle aging!

2009 Long Beach Grand Cru results -- a bronze medal for the 2007 White Hawk Vineyard, Sangiovese, Santa Barbara!

Only 67% of the wines entered received a medal: 24% received a bronze, 30% received a silver, 10% received a gold and 3% received either Sweepstakes winner or Chairman's Best of class.

American Wine Society Wine Journal
2008 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast, California

"Fragrant fresh blueberry compote and spice completely wow the nose and lead to an intoxicating palate layered with cherry, cranberry, raspberry and blueberry flavors that intertwine deliciously with spices and a dash of smoky oak.  This Pinot Noir is elegant and lifted on the palate, superbly balanced with good length and fine tannins."  Fall 2010 - written by Ellen Landis.

Wine Enthusiast Magazine
2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Vineyard, Syrah, Mendocino - 87 points

"This mountain vineyard is famous for reds on steriods, and this is indeed a big wine.  It's highly extracted and superripe, with blackberry, cherry, licorice, beef jerky and cola flavors that have a slightly funky, barnyardy edge.  Feels a little rustic in its tannins. -- S.H."  Wine Enthusiast, July 2008

2006 The Angel's Share, white Rhone blend (Marsanne/Roussanne/Viognier), Saralee's vineyard, Russian River Valley - 85 points

"Honey-sweet and fruity, this Rhône white blend has flavors of peaches, pineapples, white chocolate, vanilla and caramel. It’s a little on the simple side, but crisp acidity helps to balance. -- S.H." Wine Enthusiast, June 2008

2007 The Angel's Share, white Rhone Blend, Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River valley (May 2009) - 92 points

"A distinctive wine.  The first impression is of acidic dryness, which stimulates the palate.  then the flavors kick in, and they're opulent in peaches, pineapples, golden apricots, honeysuckle flowers, vanilla custard and cinnamon."

2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley (May 2009) -- 90 points

"Here's a smooth, polished and rewarding Cabernet Sauvignon.  It shows the structure and finesse you expect from Napa Valley, and is not one of those modern fruit bombs despite rich flavors of blackberries, currants and cassis.  Good now and through 2010, at least"

86 points -- 2007 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast (May 2009)

84 points -- 2006 Syrah, Santa Barbara (May 2009)

83 points -- 2007 McGinley Vineyard, Roussanne, Santa Barbara (May 2009)

The Rhone Report
2007 The Angel's Share Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley - 88 points
"The 2007 Lionheart Wines The Angel's Share Saralee's Vineyard is a blend of 66% Marsanne, 33% Roussanne and a splash of Viognier and is a unique, interesting wine that has perfumed aromatics.  Orange blossom, mango, vanilla and pineapple aromas and flavors all show up and the wine is medium tofull bodied with a rich texture, decent acidity and an enjoyable, long finish.  All in all, this is a ripe, round white to drink over the next yaer or two."

2007 Lionheart Wines Roussanne McGinley Vineyard - 88 points
"The 2007 Lionheart Wines Roussanne McGinley Vineyard has deep, rich aromas of vanilla bean, marzipan and ripe lemon and orange nuances.  The palate is medium to full bodied with a soft, mouth filling texture, admirable balance and a clean, long finish.  Drink this full flavored white over the next 2 to 3 years."

2007 Lionheart Wines Syrah, Dry Creek Valley - 87 points
"A ripe, lush wine, the 2007 Lionheart Wines Syrah Dry Creek Valley has lot of plum, briar, earth and chocolate aromas on the nose.  The palate is medium bodied with a soft, upfront feel, lots of sweet fruit and an enjoyable finish.  This should be a crowd pleaser to drink over the next 3 to 5 years."

2006 Lionheart Wines Syrah, Santa Barbara - 87 points
"Very bright and spicy with underbrush, subtle volatile notes, leather, meat and floral aromas, the 2006 Lionheart Wines Syrah is medium bodied in the mouth with a smooth, silky, light texture, medium concentration and a medium finish."

Blogger's Reviews 

January 2010, Wine Peeps
Reviewed the 2007 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast. 

Sept 2009, Young Winos
Reviewed the 2007 McGinley Vineyard, Roussanne, Santa Barbara; 2006 Syrah, Santa Barbara;  2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley; and 2007 The Angel's Share, white Rhone Blend, Russian River Valley.

May 2009, Pinot Report
91 points -- "Medium-deep ruby color; smoky, berry and black cherry aromas; deep and rich with black cherry and berry flavors, cinnamon and baking spice notes; some sweet oak and tannins; good structure and balance; long finish.  Deep, rich and complex Pinot with quite a bit of nuance.  Will pair up well with pork or lamb."

Ken's Wine Guide
89 points - 2007 Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast

Pink Bunny Ears
7th Annual Pinot Noir Summit

Wine Peeps
Spotlight on Lionheart Wines -- interview and 2007 Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir & 2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Vineyard, Syrah, Mendocino featured

Reviews on Gabe's View blog
2005 Eaglepoint Ranch Vineyard, Syrah, Mendocino
2007 The Angel's Share, white Rhone Blend, Saralee's Vineyard, Russian River Valley
2007 Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir

Dr. Xeno's blog

10/16/2008 - Craziness of harvest crush  6/11/2008 - Barrel tasting with Blogger Dr. Xeno

2008 Wine Blogger Conference, Sonoma, CA

10/24/2008 - 2007 McGinley Vineyard, Roussanne, Santa Barbara County

1 Wine Dude Blog
Lionheart Wines 07 McGinley Vineyard Rousanne (wow... really?).   There going for overall balance (my kind of winemakers! :-).   Stirred on the lees in nuetral French oak barrels.   The nose is OFF THE CHART!   Kiwi, tropical fruits, and flowers all over the place.   Totally killer.

Able Grape Blog
2007 Roussanne, Lionheart Wines. M, youthful, peach, floral, hints of wax and lychee, and a creamy note (100% malo, says winemaker). Pretty nose. Full bodied, with medium-high acidity, medium-plus alcohol, creamy mouthfeel, and a pleasantly long, grapefruity finish. Dig this. The winemaker, Leon Glover, said he’s going for a “distinctive, bold” wine, and I’d say he succeeded.

Dr. Xeno Blog 
6.  2007 Lionheart Wines Santa Barbara County McGinley Vineyard Roussane

OK.  Only 26 cases…get some now!!
C: lighter golden straw
N: Great pear and peach, followed by some wonderful pineapple and blossoms of florals. Some creaminess and lemon custard here too.
P: Full-bodied with intense pineapple flavors that seem sweet and yet the wine finishes nicely crisp with a little cream underneath and further tropical fruit from the nose.  Very good!

Vineyard Adventures Blog 
*Lionheart Wines 100% Rousanne - Tropical fruit - pineapple, good acidity, light handed oak, on lees for 10 months. Best pairing according to the winery is hawaiian pizza. I would tend to agree. The flavors match with the pineapple and the acidity is strong enough to be cleansing to the palate.

Wine Peeps Blog
2007 Lionheart Wines McGinley Vineyard Roussanne (
Santa Barbara County, California): Lime, pear, and floral aromas. Pineapple and lemon also come through on the palate. Crisp acidity and a bit creamy. Good mouthfeel. Smooth finish. Very refreshing.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)

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