Home Wine U The Buzz Wine Reviews   Review Archive   Rating System Calendar Fun Stuff About Us Feedback Key Contacts FAQ		Wine Tasting Notes Queen of Hearts Queen of Hearts is the line of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Pinot Noir wines aimed at the $10 price point. It is essentially Lucas & Lewellen's second wine. “We know that 11% of the American public purchases 88% per cent of all wine. I think Queen of Hearts fits in to today’s trend of where wine consuming is and where it is going.” says winemaker Daniel Gehrs. Louis Lucas says these wines are made for "fun loving wine drinkers" and this is reflected in the label design by Bob Johnson. Sourced from Lucas & Lewellen Vineyards in Santa Maria Valley, the Los Alamos Valley, and the Santa Ynez Valley the wines benefit from a palette of three different climate zones of Santa Barbara County. Over a mile long, and running along Highway 101 south of Los Alamos, the Los Alamos Valley Vineyard is planted with Rhône, Burgundy, Bordeaux and Italian varieties on soils with thick layers of clay and loam soils resembling those of Pomerol and Saint-Émilion (Bordeaux). Cooler than the Santa Ynez valley but cooler than the Santa Maria Valley, Los Alamos Valley's intermediate climate is ideal for growing quality grapes. Some of the vines, originating from cuttings brought over from Europe, are 25 over years old. The fruit from the Lucas & Lewellen vineyards is highly sought-after by many winemakers. Lucas & Lewellen also grow Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc in the lower elevations of the south-facing Valley View Vineyard in the Santa Ynez Valley AVA. The 67-acre Goodchild Vineyard lies along both sides of the acclaimed Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. The vineyard soils vary from clay and gravel river deposits to hillside and hilltop sites. These vineyards have been producing high quality and prize-winning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes from vines planted 25 years ago. The cool climate of he Santa Maria Valley allows those two varieties to excel. Total Lucas & Lewellen acreage in Santa Barbara County exceeds 400 acres. Louis Lucas is a key figure in Santa Barbara County and San Luis Obispo County viticulture as one of the area's first commercial wine grape growers. Coming from a grape growing family in the Bakersfield area, he came to Santa Barbara County in 1970 when he formed Tepusquet Vineyards with his brother George and partner Alfred Gagnon. Through a passionate pursuit of knowledge he broke many long accepted rues of viticulture and defined many new ones for the Central Coast. Royce Lewellen, a retired judge joined forces in 1996 and Lucas & Lewellen have been making wines together since. Their wines sourced from their 30+ year-old vines wines have been winning awards for a long time, most notably the 2006 Santa Barbara County Commercial Wine Competition where this wine earned a double gold medal. Their vineyards are located in Santa Maria, Los Alamos and Santa Ynez Valleys. Daniel Gehrs is the Lead Winemaker for Queen of Hearts. He brings 30 years of wine making experience in northern and central California. Most notably, Daniel was head winemaker at Zaca Mesa Winery. After four years, he left Zaca Mesa to focus on consulting and his own label. He currently makes wines for several labels in addition to his own (including Lucas&Lewellen, Mandolina and Queen of Hearts) and is an active consultant to other producers in the area. He sources the fruit for his grapes from all over California. Stylistically, Daniel believes wine should be a companion to food and strives to make his wines food-friendly, with with lower alcohol levels than most producers today. The Assistant Winemaker at Queen of Hearts is Megan McGrath. She was appointed to the position in February, 2007. A Cal Poly State University San Luis Obispo graduate with a degree in Soil Science, she earned her Certificate in Winemaking from U.C. Davis. She spent the last four years in Sonoma County, most recently as winemaker for Cahill Winery in Sebastopol. There, she gained extensive experience with Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc, Bordeaux varietals and Syrah. Joining Daniel and Megan (starting January 2007) is Drew Horton in the position of Cellar Master. His experience in the wine business is extensive and most recently includes the position of Assistant Winemaker at Brander Vineyards and then Cellar Master at Gainey Vineyard. Timothy Thompson was appointed Winery Operations Manager in February 2007. For the past four years, Mr. Thompson was the Production Manager at Firestone Vineyards. After leaving the aerospace industry, Mr. Thompson has also worked at Meridian Vineyards and Bridlewood Winery. His responsibilities include: facilities, warehousing, bottling and procurement. 2005 Queen of Hearts Pinot Noir, SBC 86 Points 2004 Queen of Hearts Merlot, SBC 87 Points 2003 Queen of Hearts Cabernet Sauvignon, SBC 88 Points  Back to top. Search our wine reviews archive by: review date, vintage and winery.			Get the buzz: Wine reviews Great stories Interviews Wine education tools New content every month It's FREE! Click here           Get the buzz: Wine reviews Great stories Interviews Wine education tools New content every month It's FREE! Click here
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