Leoness Cellars is a popular winery in Temecula even on a cold rainy day in December. The tasting room was busy as was the award winning Restaurant at Leoness.
Our tour guide was JP Ruyle who is the Host Department Supervisor and she did an excellent job of leading us on a fascinating tour and history of Leoness. The name Leoness means “village of dreams”.
This winery is special for its 80 year farming history by owners Mike Rennie and Gary Winder . They proudly proclaim they are farmers first with the winery starting in 2002. Leoness Cellars currently has over 550 acres and all grapes are harvested by hand with a small group of pickers. French and American oak are used. They are particularly proud of being awarded with a GAP Certification – Good Agriculture Practices which they received this year.
Our tour included a trip through the vineyards to the Barrel Room.
Leoness Cellars offers a series of three wine categories. There is the Cellar selection (blends) , Vineyard selection (100% individual varietals from a distinct vineyard) and Signature (blending different varietals). They offer Viognier, Syrah, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Muscat Canelli and Cinsault Port to name a few.
The Restaurant at Leoness was voted USA Today’s best winery restaurant.
Double lined tanks in the crush pad.
