Barbera has overtaken Zinfandel to quickly become Amador County’s sought-after grape. Our Barbera has the crisp acidity Barbera is known for complmented by a fruit-forward bubble gum character in the middle of your palate. This wine pairs with most any food and ages well due to its low alcohol and pH.
Alcohol: 14.1%
2017 Zinfandel, Amador County
Zinfandel is so ubiquitous in Amador County that we often joke that our parents gave it to us in our baby bottles. This Zin was aged 9 months in American oak barrels. Heavy on the palate with all the boldness and fruit forward pluminess that make Amador County Zinfandels great, our Busi Ranch Zin is our flagship wine.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price Comparison
Not sold online, $348/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Leoni Farms Winery
Owners: Jon and Meredith Campbell
Founded: 2014
Location: Amador County
For 6 generations we’ve done everything from dairy farming, mining, cattle ranching, logging, and construction in these mountains to try and make a living. We hope wine works because we don’t know what the heck else to do.
“Winemaking gives me the opportunity to see something from the very beginning of the pruning season, all the way to a glass of wine that I’ve made,” Campbell reflects. “It’s the feeling that you aged it, you maturated it and it’s something you molded and created. It’s very satisfying.”
Leoni Farms is a tribute to Co-Owner Meredith Campbell’s family name. The Leoni’s were Swiss pioneers who arrived with a Swiss-Italian wine-drinking tradition. The bottle art for Leoni Farms, a stalking silhouetted mountain lion, pays homage to the Swiss-Italian story in Amador. The word “leone” is Italian for lion. When sojourners from the Alps first arrived in the Mother Lode in the 1850s, many put stakes down in the higher elevations, where mountain lions, grizzly bears and gray wolves were part of the rugged natural world. Now only the mountain lions remain. But, as Campbell’s quick to point out, the brick and mortar of that era remains, too. For him, it’s the reason Amador’s wine tasting ambiance can’t be matched by other California settings.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Leoni Farms Amador County Barbera & Zinfandel
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $174.99 $14.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
@rjquillin ask away, barberas a very acidic grape, so it tends to be a bit more acidic with a lower ph than many of your other varietals. In Amador County, Barberas will typically come in with a 3.2- 3.3 ph vs say your zins at 3.5- 3.7, or your Rhone varietals with ph’s in the 3.7-4.1 range
@Leonifarms Thanks.
How about TA? Where were those at bottling?
We had a pretty educational discussion a while back on how pH, but especially TA an affect how we perceive acidity.
@rjquillin TA on Barbera can be much higher than say , Cab , like .8+ range - often growers will let the grape hang far too long to try to get it down into that .6 spot , which inevitably means your brix is thru the roof ; which will often lead to a high alcohol (15+ ) flabby wine - I told a Barbera grower who was whining about high TA last year that “of course the TA is high at that brix , it’s barbera , if you wanna farm grapes with a Cab ta , then farm cab “
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Leoni Farms Barbera & Zinfandel - $35 = 16.65%
Hi guys, Jon Campbell- Owner/ Winemaker @leonifarms. I will check in on this periodically tomorrow. Look forward to good discussion. Ive been in the wine business in Amador County and Lodi for some time, working my way up from cellar rat to assistant winemaker in Amador County, my 5 generation home, before graduating to winemaker at a facility in Lodi, and then eventually starting my own company a few years back. I love Italian wines such as Barbera D’ Alba and Barolo, and tend to make my Barbera in that style. I like fruit forward wines with a bit of oak, but don’t like when the oak becomes too overwhelming. I hope you enjoy these, theyre our two most popular varietal wines in the tasting room here in Sutter Creek, CA.
@Leonifarms great to have you on board John! Is your style similar to Scott Harvey’s? I really enjoy his wines. Not a big fan of oak (I’m very sensitive to it) so really curious how pronounced it is and new vs neutral on these bottling.
@losthighwayz it’s not overly packed - I really don’t think oak lends itself to Barbera , a wine that should be bright and fruit forward - and with zin , sometimes oak overpowers the quiet hints of sophistication in the back
@charlie1350 yes , unfortunately every single state has different permitting and alcohol shipping rules - trust me , in 2018 , as a vintner , I would rather be able to ship to whichever customer wants to buy!
Often these rules are in place to protect the three tier system , and if you follow the campaign contributions, then you figure out why …
That said , I’ll look into a NH permit , I’ve just never had someone from there wanna but wine til now , which is cool
@kaolis this is Busi Ranch in Jackson , CA - the owner and I manage the field together and I’ve taken every grape off of it since 2012 - I really love that field ! If you go on our winery Facebook page , there is a lot of pics out there , including the cover photo , which is taken in the zin field
@IanMorr Barbera and zin will lay for some time , but drink it before 2022 ( I just love young wines , especially Barbera , when they have that nice , fruit forward character ) - I know Scott well , went to high school with his kid - we are one small , happy wine family in Amador
During our ‘free stop’ on the last RPM tour, Lauren and I stopped in at Leoni’s tasting room in Sutter Creek, and were impressed with everything we tasted. We took notes and picked up a few bottles as well; I’ll check to see if we have any notes on the bottles in current offering when I get home tonight.
Hi Everyone,
Great to see a fellow Amador winery on Casemates. I like both of these wines and have them in my personal cellar. Jon is doing a great job telling the Amador story and it also shows in his well made wines of place.
Bit of a complex story here. Received the wine this weekend. On initial pop-and-pour, the wine tasted sweet, almost tart. Not quite like a dessert wine, but incredibly fruit forward. Drank after an extensive sushi omakase meal, so may have just paired poorly there.
Let it open up for 2 more hours and still had a sweet/tart taste.
Kept it open overnight and had a glass the next afternoon. Significant improvement. No longer as sweet, but still has a hint of tartness - hard to explain.
Drinking now (2 days after). Solid recommendation after 2 days. Great mouthfeel. Heat is more noticeable than before (previously overpowered by sweet taste). The tart has developed into notes of raspberries or blueberries.
I think this wine needs a few more years in the bottle to develop or plenty of time in a decanter. May need some ideas on pairing as well, given its unique character.
At ~$15 a bottle I think it is a great buy - something a bit more adventurous for those willing to cellar/wait for it to open up.
My better half loves Barbera (I’m no non-fan, either) and we’re also Zin fans, not to mention we adore Amador wines… plus Scott says he cellars it? In for a case, no questions asked!
@sdilullo I grew up in Plymouth , so I remember when Scott was at Santino way way back when- well if you make it to Sutter Creek , Scott’s tasting room and mine are a 100 yards apart
At first open, the Zin tasted really tight to me. Luckily we opened it before we started cooking dinner. I decanted it and let it sit a couple hours. We had the wine with a light pasta dish. It tasted fruit forward and improved greatly as it got air. I would call it jammy. It’s young and if I was more organized I let a few bottles sit for a couple years to mature.
Went back to the rest of the bottle tonight. After 2 days, it’s opened up a lot. I would recommend letting this one either age or breathe for a bit. I’m picking breathe.
Great to see Jon’s wines on Casemates. If I knew he was going to be on today, I would of opened one of his wines I have in my cellar for dinner last night. I certainly enjoy drinking them. This is a great deal. A winemaker can not afford to drink only his or her own wines. Then they get use to their own mistakes. Drinking the Leoni and others I like keeps me from making that mistake.
2017 Barbera, Amador County
Barbera has overtaken Zinfandel to quickly become Amador County’s sought-after grape. Our Barbera has the crisp acidity Barbera is known for complmented by a fruit-forward bubble gum character in the middle of your palate. This wine pairs with most any food and ages well due to its low alcohol and pH.
Alcohol: 14.1%
2017 Zinfandel, Amador County
Zinfandel is so ubiquitous in Amador County that we often joke that our parents gave it to us in our baby bottles. This Zin was aged 9 months in American oak barrels. Heavy on the palate with all the boldness and fruit forward pluminess that make Amador County Zinfandels great, our Busi Ranch Zin is our flagship wine.
Alcohol: 14.5%
Price Comparison
Not sold online, $348/case MSRP
About The Winery
Winery: Leoni Farms Winery
Owners: Jon and Meredith Campbell
Founded: 2014
Location: Amador County
For 6 generations we’ve done everything from dairy farming, mining, cattle ranching, logging, and construction in these mountains to try and make a living. We hope wine works because we don’t know what the heck else to do.
“Winemaking gives me the opportunity to see something from the very beginning of the pruning season, all the way to a glass of wine that I’ve made,” Campbell reflects. “It’s the feeling that you aged it, you maturated it and it’s something you molded and created. It’s very satisfying.”
Leoni Farms is a tribute to Co-Owner Meredith Campbell’s family name. The Leoni’s were Swiss pioneers who arrived with a Swiss-Italian wine-drinking tradition. The bottle art for Leoni Farms, a stalking silhouetted mountain lion, pays homage to the Swiss-Italian story in Amador. The word “leone” is Italian for lion. When sojourners from the Alps first arrived in the Mother Lode in the 1850s, many put stakes down in the higher elevations, where mountain lions, grizzly bears and gray wolves were part of the rugged natural world. Now only the mountain lions remain. But, as Campbell’s quick to point out, the brick and mortar of that era remains, too. For him, it’s the reason Amador’s wine tasting ambiance can’t be matched by other California settings.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NE, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WV, WI, WY
Estimated Delivery
Friday, November 23rd - Monday, November 26th
Leoni Farms Amador County Barbera & Zinfandel
4 bottles for $69.99 $17.50/bottle + $2/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $174.99 $14.58/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2017 Leoni Farms Barbera
2017 Leoni farms Zinfandel
Perhaps we could hear a bit more about
should the winery check in.
@rjquillin ask away, barberas a very acidic grape, so it tends to be a bit more acidic with a lower ph than many of your other varietals. In Amador County, Barberas will typically come in with a 3.2- 3.3 ph vs say your zins at 3.5- 3.7, or your Rhone varietals with ph’s in the 3.7-4.1 range
@Leonifarms Thanks.
How about TA? Where were those at bottling?
We had a pretty educational discussion a while back on how pH, but especially TA an affect how we perceive acidity.
@rjquillin TA on Barbera can be much higher than say , Cab , like .8+ range - often growers will let the grape hang far too long to try to get it down into that .6 spot , which inevitably means your brix is thru the roof ; which will often lead to a high alcohol (15+ ) flabby wine - I told a Barbera grower who was whining about high TA last year that “of course the TA is high at that brix , it’s barbera , if you wanna farm grapes with a Cab ta , then farm cab “
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: Tax & Shipping not included in savings calculations)
2017 Leoni Farms Barbera & Zinfandel - $35 = 16.65%
Hi guys, Jon Campbell- Owner/ Winemaker @leonifarms. I will check in on this periodically tomorrow. Look forward to good discussion. Ive been in the wine business in Amador County and Lodi for some time, working my way up from cellar rat to assistant winemaker in Amador County, my 5 generation home, before graduating to winemaker at a facility in Lodi, and then eventually starting my own company a few years back. I love Italian wines such as Barbera D’ Alba and Barolo, and tend to make my Barbera in that style. I like fruit forward wines with a bit of oak, but don’t like when the oak becomes too overwhelming. I hope you enjoy these, theyre our two most popular varietal wines in the tasting room here in Sutter Creek, CA.
Jon Campbell
@Leonifarms thank you for joining us on the boards, Jon!
@arianaWCC of course , thanks for stopping by my place the other day
@Leonifarms great to have you on board John! Is your style similar to Scott Harvey’s? I really enjoy his wines. Not a big fan of oak (I’m very sensitive to it) so really curious how pronounced it is and new vs neutral on these bottling.
How many cases were produced for each?
@losthighwayz it’s not overly packed - I really don’t think oak lends itself to Barbera , a wine that should be bright and fruit forward - and with zin , sometimes oak overpowers the quiet hints of sophistication in the back
wish I could buy this in NH but wasn’t listed
@charlie1350 yes , unfortunately every single state has different permitting and alcohol shipping rules - trust me , in 2018 , as a vintner , I would rather be able to ship to whichever customer wants to buy!
Often these rules are in place to protect the three tier system , and if you follow the campaign contributions, then you figure out why …
That said , I’ll look into a NH permit , I’ve just never had someone from there wanna but wine til now , which is cool
@Leonifarms Dusi Ranch, nice source. But there are two/three Dusi Ranch vineyards, is that correct? And I always get confused. Can you help me out?
@kaolis this is Busi Ranch in Jackson , CA - the owner and I manage the field together and I’ve taken every grape off of it since 2012 - I really love that field ! If you go on our winery Facebook page , there is a lot of pics out there , including the cover photo , which is taken in the zin field
@Leonifarms Ah, thanks. I couldn’t tell the B from a D in the bottle shot.
/giphy teeming-swanky-knee
I’m in for a case. Got some Scott Harvey Amador County Barbera, and Zinfandel, back on the old site that were both great. Hope this is comparable.
Can you give us a drinking window on these?
@IanMorr Barbera and zin will lay for some time , but drink it before 2022 ( I just love young wines , especially Barbera , when they have that nice , fruit forward character ) - I know Scott well , went to high school with his kid - we are one small , happy wine family in Amador
During our ‘free stop’ on the last RPM tour, Lauren and I stopped in at Leoni’s tasting room in Sutter Creek, and were impressed with everything we tasted. We took notes and picked up a few bottles as well; I’ll check to see if we have any notes on the bottles in current offering when I get home tonight.
@jawlz Argh, had a late night at work (didn’t get home until 10:30 PM), and spaced on remembering to check our notes. Sorry all!
Hi Everyone,
Great to see a fellow Amador winery on Casemates. I like both of these wines and have them in my personal cellar. Jon is doing a great job telling the Amador story and it also shows in his well made wines of place.
@ScottHarveyWine Well, if you have these in your personal cellar, how could I not try this?
/giphy great-funky-flea
All this great conversation has definitely peaked my interest. Anyone in the South Sound PNW wanna go in on a case? @trifecta?
2017 Zinfandel Labrat report:
Bit of a complex story here. Received the wine this weekend. On initial pop-and-pour, the wine tasted sweet, almost tart. Not quite like a dessert wine, but incredibly fruit forward. Drank after an extensive sushi omakase meal, so may have just paired poorly there.
Let it open up for 2 more hours and still had a sweet/tart taste.
Kept it open overnight and had a glass the next afternoon. Significant improvement. No longer as sweet, but still has a hint of tartness - hard to explain.
Drinking now (2 days after). Solid recommendation after 2 days. Great mouthfeel. Heat is more noticeable than before (previously overpowered by sweet taste). The tart has developed into notes of raspberries or blueberries.
I think this wine needs a few more years in the bottle to develop or plenty of time in a decanter. May need some ideas on pairing as well, given its unique character.
At ~$15 a bottle I think it is a great buy - something a bit more adventurous for those willing to cellar/wait for it to open up.
[Will edit with photos later]
Zin and Barbera are my favorites. I’m thinking of a case. Let me know if anyone else in Los Angeles is interested (I’m near LAX).
My better half loves Barbera (I’m no non-fan, either) and we’re also Zin fans, not to mention we adore Amador wines… plus Scott says he cellars it? In for a case, no questions asked!
@sdilullo Scott likes some of our obscure Italian varietals, and I obviously love his 1869 (particularly his newest vintage ) and Usually , his Syrah
@Leonifarms Yep we love Scott’s work as well. We try and catch him and Jana at the annual Wooster dinner in our neck of the woods whenever we can.
Visited them and Noceto (we’re in their club) when we made it out to Amador five or so years ago. Need to get back out there and visit you now, too!
@sdilullo I grew up in Plymouth , so I remember when Scott was at Santino way way back when- well if you make it to Sutter Creek , Scott’s tasting room and mine are a 100 yards apart
Anyone in St Louis up for a case split?
Out in the Busi Ranch field few weeks back right before we picked
/giphy level-queenlike-rain
Here’s a good article that gives a lot of info about my history as a winemaker
https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/wine/dunne-on-wine/article207935324.html
At first open, the Zin tasted really tight to me. Luckily we opened it before we started cooking dinner. I decanted it and let it sit a couple hours. We had the wine with a light pasta dish. It tasted fruit forward and improved greatly as it got air. I would call it jammy. It’s young and if I was more organized I let a few bottles sit for a couple years to mature.
Went back to the rest of the bottle tonight. After 2 days, it’s opened up a lot. I would recommend letting this one either age or breathe for a bit. I’m picking breathe.
Thanks everyone that bought this , I’m drinking both tonight and I don’t think ya’ll will be disappointed
Great to see Jon’s wines on Casemates. If I knew he was going to be on today, I would of opened one of his wines I have in my cellar for dinner last night. I certainly enjoy drinking them. This is a great deal. A winemaker can not afford to drink only his or her own wines. Then they get use to their own mistakes. Drinking the Leoni and others I like keeps me from making that mistake.