Leo Steen

The Saini family has been growing grapes in the Dry Creek and Alexander valleys for over 100 years. Their block of Chenin Blanc planted in 1982 is a rarity, given that so little of that Loire variety is left in California vineyards. (In the 1970s, it was far, far more widespread than Chardonnay!) These vines are dry-farmed in sandy soil, so yields are low and the fruit expresses pure flavors and freshness that gets lost in warmer sites. Leo Steen’s winemaking emphasizes the natural flavors of the fruit, too, aging the wine for just a few months in neutral French oak and allowing only a part to undergo malolactic fermentation. He describes it as a wine with “alluring weight and richness, a silky texture and subtle aromas of green pear, white pepper, Chamomile, and mint.” If your image of Chenin Blanc is a wine that’s semi-sweet, you’ll be in for a surprise: this Saini Chenin is bone dry and elegant.

Named for the dinosaur fossils discovered nearby, this vineyard, 400 m up in the hills above the Santa Ynez Valley, features well-drained, limestone and sandy soils that stress the Chenin Blanc vines just enough to produce small grape clusters with concentrated flavors. These soils as well as the arid climate allowed the vines to be planted on their own roots rather than grafted, which is standard practice as protection from the root louse. Though somewhat risky, own-rooted vines are heartier and require less irrigation. This is a wine that seduces with texture, wet stone minerality, and alluring notes of honeysuckle, white peach, orange blossom, and fresh hay. It’s an appealing dry wine with good weight and understated acidity.

A key component in the plush and spicy reds of Southern France and Spain, Grenache can also produce aromatically pleasing, dry and refreshing rosé wines. Located at the base of the extinct volcano called Sugarloaf in the Kenwood area of the Sonoma Valley AVA, the Rose Ranch is a certified biodynamic vineyard owned by chef Steve Rose. The block of old vine Grenache is planted in well-drained lava and gravel soils. Handpicked grapes are pressed directly to stainless steel tanks, fermented on native yeasts, and then aged in neutral barrels for four months. Perfect for sipping at the end of a spring or summer day, this rosé is bright and full of energy with aromas and flavors of bright strawberry, orange blossom, grapefruit, and crushed rock.

Leo Steen’s Upper Scala Syrah resembles a red from the Northern Rhone is two ways: it’s 100% Syrah, and it offers an attractive mix of sweet and savory: violets, cherry liquor, smoked meat and black olives. It’s also built for aging with fresh acidity, firm structure and rich body. The fruit is sourced from the Scala Vineyard, which sits at an elevation of 350 m on Sonoma Mountain. Facing northeast, the plot is cool and well-drained with rocky and volcanic soils. Yields are usually low, but the grape clusters are small and packed with flavors. Now that the wine is entering maturity, complex tertiary flavors are beginning to develop. At under 14% alcohol, it’s an excellent choice to accompany a fine meal. 

Leo Steen had long aspired to make Cabernet Franc in the peppery, fresh style of the Loire Valley, but finding fruit from a vineyard with all the right conditions proved to be a challenge. So when he was offered Cabernet Franc from the Ascona Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains, he jumped at the chance. At an elevation of 820 m, the site gets abundant sunshine but stays relatively cool; moreover, the sandstone and shale soils are well-drained, providing ideal conditions for Cabernet Franc with complex flavors but no excess sweetness. In 2018, grapes could be harvested in October (i.e. late in the season) but with sugars of only 23 Brix, making for a wine that is a modest 13.7% alcohol. In the winery, fermenting on native yeast and with 20% whole clusters added toward fulfilling the vision of a vibrant, savory, old-world-inspired wine. As Leo Steen puts it, “this expressive wine displays a gorgeous nose of black cherry and bitter dark chocolate, as well as layers of pepper and violet. On the palate, age-worthy tannins underscore a savory mix of dark fruit, pine sap, and Kirsch.”