The story: Winemaker Tony Leonardini does not have a lot of time to mess with his wine. This allows the wines to develop their own character uninterrupted. Part of the reason Tony remains busy is because he serves as a volunteer firefighter for the city of St. Helena, smack dab in the middle of the Napa Valley. He started Little Lion Wine Company, and has put out cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, chardonnay and syrah from both Napa and Sonoma fruit, since the 2006 vintage. His largest production wine, the volunteer Cabernet Sauvignon, is named for his dedication to the fire department, and a reminder that it is sometimes more of a sacrifice to give an hour of one's time than it is to write a check, but can often be more meaningful and helpful.
The wine: The wine is 83% cabernet blended with the usual suspects cab franc, merlot, petit verdot, and malbec but also has a bit of petite sirah, and syrah from Santa Maria blended in. The wine got a light treatment of French oak (20% new) and was crafted to be enjoyed relatively young. The nose gives off some red fruit, with tones of blackberry and plum, and a bit of tar, spice, leather, and cedar. The wine drinks well, is medium bodied, and offers lots of red fruit with savory leather and tobacco notes. As the wine opened up the savory aspect became almost a roasted/caramelized tomato thing, with licorice spice that as strange as it sound was interesting and tasty.
The score: 3.5/5 This wine was pleasant, and priced nicely for a Napa Valley cabernet sauvignon at $30 (still available from the winery here). It had some complexity, and what it lacked in body and concentration it made up for in interesting savory notes. I enjoyed the wine and would recommend it.
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