Welcome to the Winery!
“It’s ready to bottle!” With these words of approval from my wife Linda, my sons and I know that we have once again succeeded in producing our special, premium wine. The varietals each have their own unique characters; in many ways like designing and building a work of art, these wines speak to their imbiber. Drinkability, boldness, mouth feel - the wines from Leone DiCesare and Sons Winery are softer, much easier to drink. Our winemaking style is “old world” rather than the newer, sharper vinting styles, which produce mellow wines with a very soft mouth feel. That mellowness is not an accident – it has taken many, many years of hard work, guided by education and experience.
Let’s look back over forty years to the humble and vastly different beginnings.
In the early 1960s, Leone DiCesare was a young man living with his family in Northeastern Ohio. As with many Italian families in the area, Leone’s Grandfather DiCesare produced wine in his basement. In such families, of course, the males were expected to be the willing and able assistants and Leone was no exception, joining his Grandfather, Agostino, in the production of his homemade Italian wine.
These early days, this traditional and ritual introduction to the old-world way of wine making has stayed with Leone and been passed down to his sons and partners, Leone and Stefano DiCesare. Grandpa DiCesare’s grape crusher and rachet press are part of the winery’s décor.
The process was far different in those days – nearly everything was done by feel and instinct. No measurements were taken and sulfites were never used. While this produced a drinkable table wine, there were some uneven variations between batches given that it was such an inexact science. This foundation, this base, however, was cemented in Leone’s mind and has stayed with him over the ensuing years as he researched and refined his wine making techniques.
Leone proudly served our country for 40 months as a Special Forces Medical Sergeant, attached to the 5th SFG (Abn) at Ft. Bragg and then deployed overseas with the 46th SF Co. (Abn) in Lop Buri, Thailand. From 1972 thru 1973, he servied on various operational detachments. Duties included first response and trauma medicine, civic action missions for local indigenous populations and support of counterinsurgency operations outside of the country of Thailand during the Vietnam war.
Leone returned to Ohio in 1973 to start making wine on his own. Working with his parents, his brother Bob and his Grandmother Filomena Marinelli, Leone followed the old school traditions of making wine; ready to be tapped at Easter. The 1974 wine was excellent at first, but acidified during the summer because sulfites were not used.
Throughout the 1980s, Leone studied his craft, albeit while working on his career and raising his family. He studied the newest technology; found the latest advancements and integrated them where they meshed with the original old-world techniques. It was a labor of love, each bottle created was a slight improvement over the last. These treasures were given as a special gift to family and close friends.
Lion Hill Winery
Leone, Stefano and Dad transferring must (juice) from 400 gallon primary fermenters at Lion Hill Winery after fermentation in 1996. 100 barrels of wines were made that year
A reputation began to spread about the unique flavor and character of Leone’s wines and he was offered a business proposition to create a winery in Put-In-Bay, Ohio.
Leone won many medals as an amateur winemaker, including a Best of Show and back-to-back Konstantin Frank awards from the American Wine Society.
Lion Hill Winery was established in 1991 and became a success as one of the first Ohio wineries using California vinifera grapes, manufacturing in Warren and with a point-of-sale on South Bass Island, Put in Bay, Ohio.
Receiving medals from the Los Angeles County Fair, Ohio Wine Producers Association and the Indianapolis State Fair. These awards helped foster recognition for Leone’s premium wines. Leone’s dessert wines, Vino Santo and late harvest S. Blanc, were tested and graded by the Italian Sommelier Association in Rome, Italy in 1997.
Leone sold his 50% share of Lion Hill Winery in 1998.
Ica, Peru
Leone and Partner Juan Luis Camere (L) in Ica, Peru bottling the first vintage.
Leone expanded wine making operations with a small winery in Ica, Peru from 1991–1994, importing used equipment and oak barrels to Peru. The wines produced, using locally grown grapes from Ica, were Barbera, Malbec, Chenin Blanc and Riesling for the Peruvian Market. After 1996, this winery closed and Leone moved back to his hometown in Ohio.
The Present and Future....
Robert DiCesare, Leone's Father, applying labels to finished bottles.
Leone established Leone DiCesare and Sons in 2019 and, began to concentrate on the production of premium wines. Formal licenses were awarded by the Federal and Ohio State governments in 2020 for a winery built and located in the lower level of the family home, in Warren, Ohio
Studying the chemistry and researching the latest equipment, Leone began to assemble the current winery – and equipment was the first task to be tackled. Finding and acquiring only the finest in crushers, tanks, barrels, delicate measuring instruments – all set the stage for the next step.
The grapes – it might sound obvious, but without finding the best, ripest and most succulent grapes, all of the premium equipment and knowledge in the world won’t produce good wine.
Our grapes originate from the Suisun Valley, in Northern California.
Finally, it’s this vast education and experience that Leone has gathered from over forty years of passion, ritual and inquisition – it’s knowing just how to blend the old-world ways with the modern methods.
The results speak for themselves - the wines you are experiencing are the finest available – or the Leone DiCesare and Sons Winery will not sell them.
