I had the pleasure of tasting 7 wines from Terras De Tavares at Chez TJ in Mountain View, CA.  I am not very familiar with the varietals of the Dao region in Portugal.  After tasting these wines, I am very interested in trying more dry wines from this region.  The Dao region is known for producing fortified wines – Ports.  The wines I tried show that the dry wines of the Dao should be taken seriously.  The price to quality ratio (PTQ) is excellent in my opinion.  If you are looking for complex and elegant wines at a very reasonable price, you should keep you eye out for these wines.

White DOP, DAO Torree de Tavares, Bical (40%) / Cerceal (60%)
Appearance -> medium- lemon core -> water white rim
Nose -> clean, medium+ intensity aromas of minearl, white floral, grapefruit (tangy acid)
Palate -> high acidity; medium length with a clean acidic finish, medium intensity flavors of mineral, lychee, floral (jasmine), citrus pith (on the start), wet sea shell (on the finish); medium alcohol (12.7%)
Quality -> the wine is a very enjoyable wine made from varietals usually used for the production of madera.  The acidity and flavor intensity of it lends itself paella or white boullaibase.

Red 2006 Geographical Indication BEIRAS – Torre de Tavares (40% Touriga Portuguesa, Jaen 50%, Aragones 10%) – 3.5 euros (price from producer)
Appearance -> Opaque ruby with blue hints core -> ruby rim
Nose -> clean, medium intensity aromas of earth, light bandaid (blows off with 20 minutes), cinnamon, cardamon, mace, red fruit, oak
Palate -> high acidity; medium tannin (fine-grained), pronounced intensity flavors of caradmon, cinnamon, dried red cherry, mace

Red 2005 D.O.P. DAO Terras de Tavares, Touriga Nacional — 7.90 Euro (cost from producer)
Appearance -> opaque ruby/black core -> ruby rim
Nose -> clean, medium intensity aromas of sugar cookie dough, earth, violets, dried cherry (red & black)
Palate -> high acidity; medium+ to high tannins, medium+ intensity flavors of dried cherry (black & red), earth, red floral, warm spikes; medium+ alcohol, medium+ length
Quality ->Good wine but comes across a bit hot on the finish.  It is an excellent value for the price.

Red 2005 D.O.P. DAO, Terras de Tavares Reserva (70% Jaen, 30% Toriga Portuguesa) — 7.90 Euro (cost from producer)
Appearance ->Opaque ruby with black core -> ruby rim
Nose -> slight nail polish hint (blew off in 20 minutes), pronounced aromas of banana, red fruit, hint of oak, mace
Palate -> medium+ tannins (fine-grained and smooth but has a slight chalky note on the finish); long length; medium+ intensity flavors of red currant, fresh cranberry, pomegranate, fennel; medium+ acidity
Quality -> This is an excellent wine!  The aromas and flavors are complex and layered.  The wine is very balance with respect to alcohol, intensities, tannins and acidity.

Red 2006 D.O.P. DAO Terras de Tavares Reserva (60% Jaen, 40% Touriga Portuguesa) – 6.90 euros (cost from the producer)
Appearance -> opaque ruby and black core -> ruby rim
Nose -> clean, medium intensity aromas of black fruit (plum, cherry), red fruit (plum), earth, leather
Palate ->high acidity; medium+ tannins (very soft), long length; pronounced intensity flavors of plucot, plums, earth, warm spice, red currant, smoke, tobacco, tar (complex and layered)
Quality-> Good to Excellent for the price, complexity and balance.  The wine has a good balance of acidity, tannins and flavors.  The complexity of the wine combined with the acidity will give the wine good aging potential.

Red D.O.P. DAO Terras de Tavares Reserva 2007 (50% Jaen, 50% Touriga Portuguesa) – 7.90 euros (price from the producer)
Appearance -> opaque ruby and light purple hue core -> ruby rim
Nose ->clean, prounounced intensity aromas of fresh cracked pepper, warm spices, light oak, red fruit
Palate -> medium+ alcohol; medium+ length, medium+ tannins with green tannins and bitterness on finish; pronounced intensity flavors = aromas
Quality -> The wine is very young but does have potential with aging.  It was very helpful to taste the other wines especially the 1997 wine.  The primary aromas / flavors are very intense and need time to mellow in the bottle.

Red D.O.P. DAO Terras de Tavares Reserva 1997 (60% Jaen, 40% Touriga Portuguesa) – 9.90 Euros (price from the producer)
Appearance -> opaque- ruby core -> ruby with brick tinted rim
Nose ->clean, pronounced aromas of floral, stone fruit, red currants, red cherry (complex and layered)
Palate -> medium+ tannins (velvety); long length; medium+ intensity flavors of dried cherry, compote cherry, plum, celery salt (on finish), black ground pepper (on entry)
Quality -> Excellent.  The wine is complex, layered and very balanced.  The wine could easily age another 15 years before being over the hill.  The aroma and flavors evolve with time in the glass.

I had the opportunity to taste three Thai fruit icewines recently.  The entire concept of Thai icewines is just plain odd, but the fruit side of it makes it even more intriguing.  The flavors of the icewines are: Pineapple, Mangosteen and Passionfruit.  Mangosteen is a fruit only grown in Southeast Asia; it is a wonderful fruit that is exotic and familiar in flavor — floral, apple, pear and good crunchy texture.

The three icewines were all very interesting and good in quality.  My preference was for the Mangosteen and the Passionfruit.  The Pineapple tasted about equal parts pineapple and lemon — the two do not work as well as you might expect.  The Passionfruit and Mangosteen would make excellent bases for some very interesting cocktails. 

If you are looking for something out of the ordinary or something that would be a natural drink to work with Asian and Indian food, you should definitely give these products a try!

I was one of the judges in the 2010 Pinot Noir Shootout held on January 11th at Boudin’s restaurant in Fisherman’s wharf in San Francisco.  The final round consisted of 64 wines being split into two panels of 32 wines.  Each panel had 4 flights of 8 wines to be judged on a 100 point scale.  A wine given a score of 90 or higher indicated the judge felt the wine should be included in the final list of Pinot Noirs to be included in the public tasting as part of the 2010 Pinot Noir Summit (Feb 27th, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafeal, CA, 94903 — tickets available on the Affairs of the Vine website).   Each group of 32 wines had 13 judges rate the wines. The Pinot Noir Shootout had approximately 280 wines entered from all over the world.

Flight 1:
87 pts - Ampelos Cellars, 2006 Ampelos Vineyards, Reserver – Rho, Santa Rita Hills, 520 cases, $45  retail
90 pts - Claiborne & Churchill, 2007 Edna Valley, 2380 cases, $25 retail
89 pts - Row Eleven, 2006 Santa Maria Valley, 2000 cases, $36 retail
89 pts – Cumbre of Vine Hill, 2007 Barrel 31, Santa Cruz Mountains, 187 cases, $59 retail
89 pts – Spy Valley, 2008 Marlborough, 8106 cases, $29 retail
90 pts - MacMurray Ranch, 2007 Sonoma Coast, 75000 cases, $24 retail
92 pts - Robledo, 2006 Rancho Rincon, Estate, Los Carneros, 900 cases, $40 retail
90 pts - Fulcrum, 2007 Anderson Valley, 100 cases, $52 retail

Flight 2:
88 pts – River Road Vineyards, 2007 Stephanies Vineyard, Estate, Russian River Valley, 997 cases, $26 retail
87 pts – Oak Knoll Winery, 2006 Red Hill Vineyard, Red Hill Oregon, 430 cases, $24 retail
89 pts – Hahn SLH Estate, 2007 Santa Lucia Highlands, 2591 cases, $29 retail
91 pts - Shandel’s Oppenlander Vineyard, 2007 Estate Grown, Mendocino County, 250 cases, $40 retail
93 pts – Lionheart Wines, 2007 Sonoma Coast, 50 cases, $40 retail
89 pts – TR Elliott, 2007 Three Plumes, Russian River Valley, 150 cases, $40 retail
90 pts – Left Edge, 2008 Sea Ridge Vineyard, Timberline Block, Sonoma Coast, 300 cases, $40 retail
91 pts – Artesa, 2007 Carneros, 20664 cases, $24 retail

Flight 3:
90 pts – CRU, 2008 Appellation Series, Santa Lucia Highlands, 240 cases, $32 retail
85 pts – La Fenetre, 2007 Le Bon Climat, Santa Maria Valley, 115 cases, $55 retail
87 pts – Sonoma Coast Vineyards, Freestone HIlls, Sonoma Coast, 450 cases, $40 retail
88 pts – Handley Cellars, 2007 Anderson Valley, 4029 cases, $30 retail
88 pts – David Bruce Winery, 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains, 1232 cases, $30 retail
87 pts – Truchard Vineyards, 2006 Carneros Napa Valley, 4503 cases, $35 retail
85 pts – Belle Vallee, 2006 Grand Cuvee, Willamette Valley, 382 cases, $42 retail
84 pts – Orentano, 2007 Russian River Valley, 400 cases, $40 retail

Flight 4:
89 pts – Deaver Vineyards, 2007 Sierra Foothills, 112 cases, $24.99 retail
89 pts – Nicholson Ranch, 2007 Sonoma Coast, 169 cases, $42 retail
88 pts – Manzoni, 2007 Manzoni Family Estate, Santa Lucia Highlands, 324 cases, $24 retail
89 pts – Mahoney Vineyards, 2006 Las Brisas Esate, Carneros, 300 cases, $28 retail
90 pts – Heart O The Maountain, 2007 100% Pommard Clone, Santa Cruz Mountains, 25 cases, $58 retail
87 pts – Dierberg Vineyards, 2006 Estate, Santa Maria Valley, 4400 cases, $42 retail
86 pts – Pessagno, 2007 Four Boys Vineyard, Estate Grown, Santa Lucia Highlands, 192 cases, $55 retail

I did score my wine the highest out of the flight of 32.  Note: I did not realize it was my wine during the tasting — I am a bit embarressed to say that but it is the truth.  At least, I consistently like my own wine.   After the tasting, the judges were conferring and it appeared that my scoring was fairly consistent with other judges including picking the Lionheart Pinot Noir as the top in the flight.  I hope that I do place in the top three after everything is tabulated.   

The wines in the other grouping were:
David Bruch Winery, 2007 Anderson Valley
Wedell Cellars, 2006 Hillside Vineyard, Edna Valley
Canihan Family Vineyard, 2007 Exuberance (Reserve), Carneros/Sonoma Valley border
Big Basin Vineyards, 2007 Alfaro Family Vineyard, Santa Cruz Mountains
Clary Ranch, 2006 Estate Sonoma Coast
CRU, 2007 Vineyard Montage, Central Coast
Ampelos Cellars, 2006 Lambda, Ampelos Vineyards, Santa Rita Hills
Longboard Vineyards, 2007 Russian River Valley
Bogle, 2007 Russian River Valley
Bjornstad Cellars, 2007 Hellenthal Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Nicholson Ranch, 2007 Estate, Reserve, Cactus Hill, Sonoma Valley
La Fenetre, 2007 Calmant Creek vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Gloria Ferrer, 2005 Rust Rock Terrace vineyard, Carneros
Sonoma Coast Vineyards, 2006 Petersen Vineyard, Sonoma Coast
Pacific Coast Vineyards, 2007 Babcock Vineyards, Santa Rita Hills
Elk Cove Vineyards, 2008 Mount Richmond vineyard, Willamette Valley, Yamhill-Carlton District
Bohemian Vineyard, 2008 Bohemian Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Willamette Valley Vineyards, 2007 Tualatin Estate, Willamette AVA
Brophy Clark, 2007 Garey & Goodchild Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
Eric Ross, 2008 Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Amisfield, 2007 Lowburn, New Zealand
Russian Hill, 2007 Estate Vineyards, Russian River Valley
Wild Earth, 2008 Central Otago
Vine Hill, 2007 Santa Cruz Mountains
Perception, 2007 Russian River Valley
Balletto Vineyards, 2007 Winery Block, Russian River Valley
Pegasus Bay, 2007 Waipara Valley, New Zealand
Kendric Vineyards, 2007 Marin County
Kenneth Volk Vineyards, 2006 Bien Nacido Vineyard, Santa Maria Valley
Lucienne, 2007 Doctor’s Vineyard, Santa Lucia Highlands
Stephen & Walker, 2006 Monterey
Scott Cellars, 2008, Sierra Madre Vineyard, First Mesa, Santa Maria Valley

I believe that the top 40 or so wines from the final round will be included at the Pinot Noir Summit based on the aggragated scoring of all the judges in each flight as part of the public tasting.

I would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous new year! 

2009 was an “interesting” year to say the least.  Lionheart Wines saw some good development of the brand and some great wines going into the bottle.  The year has helped me focus on what Lionheart needs to do better as well as what wines make sense to be producing in 2010 (assuming we have the cash for that!).  I would like to continue to focus on Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, Sangiovese and Rose.  The white Rhone wines are lovely but the market place is not quite ready for them.  I could be changing my tune if I can figure out how to get the production costs down to a more managable price point.   I love syrah but it has not caught on as well as I planned on.  Again, who knows Syrah might bust out with the right production costs.

In 2010, we will be releasing some very good wines from the 2007 and 2008 vintages.  So, please keep your eye out for them.  Also, if you know a place that you would like carry Lionheart Wines, please let me know where so I can contact them directly.  Jen and I are looking forward providing great wines and service to our wine club members and retail partners. 

May you enjoy a lovely and safe time including some of the grape on New Year’s Eve and New Year Day!  Please make sure you have a designated driver!

Sincerely,
Leon Glover
Winemaker, Lionheart Wines

I had the pleasure of participating as a judge in one of the preliminary round judgings for the 2010 Pinot Noir Shootout.  Note: I have entered by 2007 Sonoma Coast, Pinot Noir in the the event.  My wine was not tasted in this particular preliminary round. 

As part of the judging system, only 32 wines are tasted at a time in the preliminary rounds.  Each wine will be included in two preliminary rounds to make sure the wine is of appropriate quality for the final round of judging.

The wines in this preliminary round with the score I gave the wine plus what the range of scores for the round were if I have the data for it:

Flight 1:
85 pts – Heart O’ The Mountain, 2007 Estate Blend, Santa Cruz Mountains, 385 cases, $48 retail
89 pts – Belle Vallee Cellars, 2007 Reserve, Willamette Valley, 1088 cases, $28 retail
88 pts [80-90] – Mietz Cellars, 2006 Carmine’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 150 cases, $35 retail
91 pts [86-91] – Hahn SLH Estate, 2007 Santa Lucia Highlands, 2591 cases, $29 retail
88 pts – Eric Ross, 2008 Saralee’s Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 310 cases, $40 retail
85 pts – Wild Hog Vineyard, 2008 estate, True Sonoma Coast, 348 cases, $35 retail
90 pts – [77-90] – Willamette Valley Vineyards, 2007 Elton Vineyard Pinot Noir, Willamette AVA, 410 cases, $45 retail
88 pts – Wedell Cellars, 2006 Hillside Vineyard, Edna Valley, 100 cases, $125 retail

Flight 2:
84 pts – Baretto, 2007 Reserve, Santa Cruz Mountains, 172 cases, $40 retail
89 pts – Escarpment, 2007 Martinborough, New Zealand, 3000 cases, $36.99 retail
87 pts – Signorello, 2007 Estate, Las Amigas Vineyard, Carneros, 104 cases, $50 retail
87 pts – Valley of the Moon Winery, 2008 Carneros, 4440 cases, $20 retail
80 pts – Kyra, 2007 Washington State, 380 cases, $22 retail
91 pts [80-91] - CRU, 2008 Sppellation Series, Santa Lucia Highlands, 240 cases, $32 retail
82 pts – Brandborg, 2006 Estate, Ferris Wheel Estate, Umpqua Valley, 450 cases, $38 retail
91 pts [79-91] – TR Elliott, 2007 Three Plumes, Russian River Valley, 150 cases, $40 retail

Flight 3:
86 pts [82-91] – Pacific Coast Vineyards, 2007 Babcock Vineyard, Santa Rita Hills, 88 cases, $62.50 retail
85 pts [71-91] – Handley Cellars, 2007 Anderson Valley, 4029 cases, $30 retail
86 pts [79-88] – Phillips Hill, 2008 Ring of Fire, Anderson valley, 150 cases, $45 retail
87 pts [79-91] – Surfrider, 2008 Edna Valley, 548 cases, $27 retail
87 pts [75-91] – Lion’s Pride, El Molino High School Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 120 cases, $40 retail
83 pts [80-92] – Orentano, 2007 Russian River Valley, 400 cases, $40 retail
83 pts [80-89] – Wild Earth, 2008 Central otago, 7000 cases, $29.99 retail
84 pts [74-92] – Clary Ranch, 2007 Estate, Clary Ranch Vineyard, Sonoma Coast, 458 cases, $36 retail

Flight 4:
86 pts [75-91] – Villa Mt. Eden, 2007 Grand Reserve, Russian River Valley, 1120 cases, $23 retail
83 pts [76-86] – Firesteed, 2008 Oregon, 25114 cases, $15.99 retail
91 pts [83-92] – Deaver Vineyards, 2007 Sierra Foothills, 112 cases, $24.99 retail
89 pts [79-89] – Kyra, 2008 Washinton State, 350 cases, $22 retail
87 pts [82-91] – Phillips Hill, 2008 Oppenlander Vineyard, Mendocino, 600 cases, $45 retail
84 pts [81-89] – Balletto Vineyards, 2007 Burnside Road vineyard, Russian River Valley, 300 cases, $34 retail
82 pts [81-87] – Erath, 2006 Leland Vineyard, Willamette Valley, 550 cases, $45 retail
85 pts [80-90] – CRU, 2008 Appellation Series, Santa Maria, 317 cases, $32 retail

My scores tended to be in the middle or toward the higher end of the ranges.  I scored the first two flights a bit higher than I probably should have as I needed to calibrate my scoring range a bit.  This is a great example of why wines should be tasted double-blind to make sure they deserve the score given.  If I was judging more often, I think the recalibration time would be much quicker.  Also, after each flight the judges discussed the high and low scores of each wine which is a great way to get feedback on how you are rating a wine.

I hope that my wine makes it into the final round!  I guess only time will tell.

Archeologists have found evidence of wine production carbon-dated to around 5000 BC in the country of Georgia.  The word, wine, comes from the Georgian word “gvino” which the Greeks and Romans shortened to vino which the French then changed it to vin.  Georgia has over 500 unique grape varietals.  38 grape varietals are officially allowed for commercial viticulture.  The approved varietals include: Saperavi, Rkatsiteli, Tsolikouri, Tsitska, Chinuri, Goruli, Mtsvane, Kakhuri Mtsvane, Odzhaleshi, Orbeluri Odzhaleshi, Aladasturi, Obchuri Dzvelshavi, Aligote, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Usakhelouri, Alexandriuli, Mudzhuretuli, Otskhanuri Sapere, Krakhuna, Chkhaveri, Tetra, and Khikhvi.

Georgia geography is basically a valley located between two mountain ranges and the Black Sea.  Most of the valley is planted with grape vines.  It is the same latitude as parts of France, Italy, Spain and Northern California.  So, it has the potential to produce great grapes and should start to be taken seriously in the West.  Georgia has five viticultural zones: Kakheti, Kartli, Imereti, Racha-Lechkhumi, and the humid subtropical zone.

Georgia has become known for its sparkling wine.  The sparkling wine has been nearly completely consumed by Russia and former Soviet Union states  until the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia.  Russia has started to boycott Geogian products, so Georgian wine producers have started to export their still and sparkling wines beyond Russia. 

The wine distributor that I work for has started to carry the Bagrationi 1882 sparkling wines from Georgia.  If you have an opportunity to try these sparkling wines, I suggest that you do.  The wines are made from varietals only available in Georgia resulting in a unique flavor profile somewhere between Champagne and Cava.  The methode champenoise produced sparkling wines are produced from the Chinebuli, Mtsvane and Tsitska varietals.  Chinebuli is a rare varietal from the Kartli region of Georgia.  The charmat method sparkling wines are non-vintage with some variable % of  Chinebuli, Mtsvane and Tsitska varietals depending on the specific lot.

A quick update from Lionheart Wines….

I bottled the 2007 Roaring Red, Proprietary blend, yesterday into shiners (bottles without labels for capsules).  The chemistry for the wine is: S02 – 32 ppm, pH – 3.58, TA – 5.3 grams/liter, ABV – 14.65% and VA of 0.60 grams/liter.  We ended up with 26 cases plus 9 loose bottles.  It is a small amount of wine but the challenge will now be to sell it given the challenging environment. 

I need to get the label text figured out and submitted for TTB approval.  After the labels are approved and printed, I will get the shiners labelled.  The wine will not be released until the fall so the wine has time to integrate and get over bottle shock.  I learned from the 2006 Roaring Red that it need about 6 to 8 months for the wine to fully integrate, but you could tell how the wine was going to evolved after 4 months or so.

The final blend works out to be:
55% 2007 Dry Creek Valley, Syrah
23% 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon
6% 2007 Mourvedre, Lodi
5% 2007 Napa Valley, Petite Verdot
9% 2007 Napa Valley, Malbec
2% 2007 Napa Valley, Merlot

So, this blend is very nearly a Bordeaux Blend just missing some Cabernet Franc to complete the big 5 varietals.  I guess you could say that this is a Bordeaux blend interpreted via the Northern Rhone (as the Syrah was co-fermented with Viognier).  The wine is a big, bold wine and truly lives up to the name — Roaring Red!

Appearance:
Medium- lemon green core transitioning to water white rim

Nose:
Medium+ intensity aromas of mineral, apple blossom, green apple, asian pear, ripe pear and slight diacetyl

Palate:
pronounced intensity flavors of apple blossom, green apple, asian pear, green apple, bosc pear, oak and hint of diacetyl (layered, complex and evolving); medium alcohol; long length, medium+ concentration; medium+ acidity.

Quality:
Excellent quality due to the aromas / flavor intensity, concentration, long length, complexity, excellent typicity.  Gary Ferrell has done a tremendous job on his initial release from his new winery, Alysian.  The wine is complex, balanced and will hold up well for many years.

Alysian wines are very good now but will be excellent with a few years in the bottle.  The oak is very well done and a nice balance to the aromas/flavors intensity and profile.

It has been quite a while since my last blog entry…my bad.  The amount of work being a Sales Representative for a spirit and wine distributor is quite large especially when you have a good sized territory.  You have a lot of people to get to know and learn what products will help them be successful.  I do have a ton of wine tasting notes to post that I will try to get some of them up this weekend hopefully.

The 2008 vintage is shaping up to be a special vintage for Lionheart Wines!  The 2008 Rose turned out fantastically.  The 2008 white Rhone blend (used to be The Angel’s Share — need to be change due to potential trademark infringement) is tasting fantastic and will be bottled into shiners on Wednesday.  The 2007 Roaring Red is shaping up very nicely; this year’s blend is 70% Dry Creek Syrah, 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa, and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon from Red Mountain in Washington.  The 2008 Pinot Noir blend is very good and is very similar to the 2007 Pinot Noir!  The 2008 Sangiovese is quite good and will be evaluated in greater detail in the next month or so.  The 2008 Syrahs (White Hawk and Thompson) have great promise…just need more time in the barrel to see where they will end up qualitywise.  The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon is very powerful and complex.  Overall, I am quite happy with what was produced in the 2008 harvest.  Only time will tell how good or great the vintage is for Lionheart Wines.

Other activities:
I am starting on blending for the 2007 Roaring Red, 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon and checking on the various 2008 wines.  Also, I have been looking into securing fruit sources for the 2009 harvest.  I went down to Paso Robles AVA, San Antonio AVA and the Santa Lucia Highlands AVA to check out Marssanne, Roussanne, Sangiovese, Syrah and Pinot Noir sources.  The economic uncertainty has created some very good fruit sources to be available.  The big question is what we can afford to produce.  I am leaning toward a Pinot Noir, Rose, white Rhone blend and a Santa Barbara Cabernet Sauvignon.  The actual production depends on production costs, trucking costs and final fruit costs.  I have also been looking into alternative custom crush facilities where the produced wine would be shipped to Crushpad for final bottling ( to fit into the Crushpad commerce program).  The details on how this shakes out will be figured out in the next month or so.

Inventory: We are down to 14 bottles of the Rose — if you would like some, you should buy it very shortly.  Local restaurants snapped up the rose — British Banker Club in Menlo Park, Metropol in San Francisco.  The rose can also be found at Segona’s Farmer Market in Redwood City and Half Moon Bay Wine and Cheese. We are down to 8 cases of 2007 McGinley Roussanne, 9 cases of 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 cases of Roaring Red, 11 cases of 2006 Syrah (Santa Barbara), 50 cases of 2007 The Angel’s Share, 20 cases of 2007 Pinot Noir. 

It is a bit hot right now to ship wines but if you are local, please let me know and I am happy to delivery the wines to you (if you are near SF). 

More information coming soon!  We need to set the date and location for the next Mane Event release party.  The 2007 White Hawk Sangiovese is taking fantastic!  It will be officially release at the end of the summer — futures will be sent out when the weather cools down enough to ship it.  If you would like to wait on having it shipped to be part of the fall releases, please let me know.

I do apologize for not keeping up my regular posting on the blog.  I have been very lately with many things — finding new fruit sources for the 2009 harvest, tasting events, ramping up on the sales effort, label design/printing, and wine blending.  I have a ton of wine reviews to type up and post as soon as I have a couple of hours to type up my notes on. 

Recently, I have taken on a second job — working as a sales representative for Bock Wines & Spirits.  It is partially a sign of the economic times but it is also a great learning experience to close the experiential loop on the wine industry — educator, producer, direct sales, sales on-premise, sales off-premise, working for a distributor, and pounding the street to see how the rubber meets the road for all price segments in the wine and spirit industry.  I must say that I have a new found respect for sales representatives and customer service personnel.   My work with Bock Wine & Spirits helps me better understand what the consumer really is buying so I can taylor the wines to be more marketable, more responsive to market trends and provide additional financial support to make sure Lionheart Wines is a strong and growing premium brand. 

The amount of work associated with being a wine & spirit sales representative is very large and never ending.  It is really about relationship building and effective communication…and keeping knocking on all possible doors all the time.  I am getting ramped up on what needs to be done to be successful but need a bit more time to hit my stride.  The great thing about the situation is that I get to sell Lionheart Wines along side with a great portfolio of other products — it makes more efficient use of my time while establishing relationships in the industry.  So, it is a win-win for both Lionheart Wines and Bock Wine & Spirits.    It has also forced me to be more systematic in my marketing and sales efforts — focus on working smarter not harder plus leveraging technology where possible.