Steele Wines was founded in 1991. Prior to that time, winemaker/owner Jed Steele was the founding winemaker, general manager, and VP of Production at Kendall Jackson for the first nine vintages of that company. Prior to his adventures at Kendall Jackson, Jed worked for 10 years for Edmeades, then a small independent winery in the Anderson Valley of Mendocino County, as winemaker and vineyard manager. Jed began working in the wine business at Stony Hill Winery in the Napa Valley in 1968. From mid-1991 until mid-1996, Steele Wines co-leased a small winery in Lake County. In June of 1996, Jed purchased the old Konocti Winery between Lakeport and Kelseyville in Lake County.

"Now entering my fifth decade as part of the California wine business, I made the decision in 1991 to put my winemaking skills and philosophy, which had slowly developed over the years, into my own label. A winemaker's creativity can be limited, as directed by legal edict, in many of the world's winemaking areas, if he or she is confined to work with the grapes of only one vineyard, one region, one appellation. During my time as a winemaker, I have blended thousands of tons and millions of gallons of wine from the best vineyards California has to offer, ranging from Mendocino to Santa Barbara counties. I have come to realize that the ultimate creation can only be achieved if one goes BEYOND THE TERROIR." Jed Steele

www.steelewines.com

Zinfandel Catfish
Planted in 1901, this ungrafted, head-pruned vineyard from the Ben Hill bench of Lake County produces one of California's most complex and sophisticated Zinfandels from yields generally below one ton per acre. Described by winemaker Jed Steele as the most Burgundian of his Zinfandels, it combines the aromatic purity and intensity of a great Morey St Denis with the power of Zinfandel's classic briary fruit. Additional complexity comes from the field blend of other grapes - Carignan, Alciante Bouchet, Petite Syrah and Grenache - typical of turn of the century vineyards. Ageing for 12 months in hybrid barrels made of alternating French and American oak staves round out the wine and add richness to the long, lingering finish.
2002 $19.99 AVAILABLE
"Aromas of brown sugar and toasty oak begin this wonderful wine experience. The small berries from this century-old vineyard offer concentrated flavors of wonderful ripe blackberry and raspberry that cut through to a complex edge of minerally tannins. This wine has great depth of flavor with a long, lingering finish with a touch of Lake County dust. Simply a wine of elegance and finesse." Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Review
2001 $19.99 SOLD OUT
Because of the well-drained volcanic soil and wide variety of grapes in the field blend, Catfish does not frequently exhibit typical warm-climate old-vine Zinfandel characteristics. It tends toward a more bramble berry palate. The nose reveals ripe jammy fruit, candied cherry, and brown sugar. The wine has medium tannins that will allow it to age for a number of years or be consumed now. The wine provides a mouth full of tart red fruit, and many layers of jam, coffee, and tar along with good structure and balance.

Zinfandel Pacini
The Pacini Family planted this vineyard in 1940 on the western foothills of the Mayacamas Mountains in Mendocino County. Steele Wines purchased the vineyard in 1996 from the Pacini Family. The location of the vineyard prevents us from irrigating or frost protecting due to the limited water supply. This provides for the intense flavors and aromas in this Zin. We aged the Steele Pacini Vineyard Zinfandel in American oak barrels for 12 months, using 25% new barrels and 75% neutral barrels. This selection of oak allows us to maximize the fruit component while rounding out the structure of the wine.
2002 $15.99 AVAILABLE
"Core pumpkin spices accent this vintage of Pacini Zinfandel. Bold and ripe, it's a big, assertive, chewy wine that stretches into the extremes for Zinfandel. Tones of blackberries, sour cherries, and chocolate give this wine a round, balanced mouth-feel. The wine has great structure, is well balanced, and has a full, lengthy finish." Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Review
2001 $17.99 VERY LIMITED

Zinfandel Dupratt
This tiny 5.5 acre plot of 80 year old vines has always produced wines of spectacular quality. DuPratt Zinfandel is from the Mendocino Ridge appellation and is always the hardest to pick. The long season enjoyed by grapes grown in the Mendocino Ridge appellation does allow full ripeness and consistent quality year in and year out. Aging for 16 months in a special mix of Taransaud French oak barrels is the other key to the great flavors and drinking pleasure that is a hallmark of the DuPratt Zinfandel. The long season and elevation makes wines that are rich, elegant and complex. They are more like fine Claret than typical old vine Zinfandel from California.
1999 $19.99 AVAILABLE
WOW!!! We tasted this morning Steele Zinfandel 1999, "DuPratt Vineyard" and were blown away with its richness and drinkability. This is the latest Zinfandel release from our good friend, Jed Steele. As many of you know, Jed is among the best Zinfandel producers in California. See what Zinfandel is like with a few years bottle age. This is a perfect example of wine stored at the winery for extra bottle aging.

Pinot Noir Bien Nacido
Bien Nacido, literally Spanish for "Born Well," is an expansive tract of land with many different aspects and exposures. It sits on a bench above the Sisquoc River and is one of the most well known of the Santa Barbara area vineyards. Many of the most prestigious wineries in California purchase grapes from this vineyard. The wine is always elegant, perfumed and alluring. Not blockbusters, but wines of finesse and subtle nuances.
2000 $29.99 SOLD OUT
"Walks a fine line between earthy, leathery flavors and ripe plum and sour cherry fruit, giving it a complex range of flavors. Drink now through 2005. 1,200 cases made." The Wine Spectator 5/15/03

Pinot Noir Sangiacomo
Steele has worked with Pinot Noir from Sangiacomo since their first vintage in 1991. Each year the best lots are chosen for a single vineyard bottling, aged for an additional 4-5 months with a higher proportion of new French oak barrels. The toasting of the staves gives a smoky aromatic backdrop to the wonderful cherry fruit aromas and flavors.
2000 $26.99 AVAILABLE
We have worked with the Pinot Noir from Sangiacomo since our first vintage in 1991. Each year we choose the best lots and produce a single vineyard bottling. We age these lots for an additional 4-5 months and use a higher proportion of new French oak barrels. These barrels are heavily toasted during the bending of the staves. This toasting gives a smoky aromatic backdrop to the wonderful cherry fruit aromas and flavors. This is a beautiful expression of Pinot Noir: medium color and the pronounced aroma of ?Bing? cherries, combined with a smooth structure and perfect balance.

Pinot Noir Carneros
The core vineyards here are Durell and Sangiacomo. The style for Carneros has always been one of moderate oak, juicy high tone fruit flavors and aromas of black cherry. After fermentation the wine is aged for nine months in a combination of French, Oregon, and Hungarian oak barrels.
2004 $19.99-750ml AVAILABLE
The ?03 Carneros Pinot Noir is supple and elegant with soft tones of smoky black cherry, chocolate, vanilla and spice notes; a seamless wine that's polished and understated. This wine is earthy yet complex, with mushroom and leather notes. One of the best Pinot's we've tasted in the last six months.

Syrah Lake County
Floyd and Jolene Silva farm the benches to the west on the Big Valley between Kelseyville and Lakeport. Don and Betty Fiora have a picture postcard vineyard well into the southeast of Clear Lake. Both of these vineyards produce wines of intense color, flavor and structure. This is a very robust and intense style of Syrah. The tannins are firm, the flavor is of crushed black fruits, and the aroma has the dusty character which is classic for Syrah. Well worth cellaring, this wine will reward someone patient enough to wait a few years to drink it.
2000 $15.99 LIMITED
"Fragrant, with Asian spice and black cherry tones framed by modest tannin and loads of vanilla and cedar from oak. Drink now through 2006." The Wine Spectator 5/15/03

Merlot Lake County
Steele opted, because of the quality of the grapes, to make this wine in a rich, generous style. This wine is a mouthful of pleasure: lots of fruit, medium tannins and a long lingering finish. We would recommend some cellar time for this wine if only to allow all of the great aromas and flavors to properly meld. The vintage of 2001 produced fruit of excellent quality. This is a great way to start the new millennium. In 2001 we were able to have longer hang time than in previous vintages and thus develop more complexity in the Merlot from Lake County. We experienced a moderate spring and summer and a slightly larger crop than in previous years, historically the vineyard has produced around two tons per acre (extremely small production). Typical production for Merlot is usually four to five tons per acre.
2001 $19.99 AVAILABLE
We have opted, because of the quality of the grapes, to make this wine in a rich, generous style. This wine is a mouthful of pleasure: lots of fruit, medium tannins and a long lingering finish. We would recommend some cellar time for this wine if only to allow all of the great aromas and flavors to properly meld. We fell that this wine can compete with any Merlot from any growing region anywhere in the world.

Cabernet Franc Lake County
We made the wine following our typical winemaking techniques for red wines. This includes gentle crushing and a warm fermentation followed by pressing and racking. The wine was racked to a combination of French and American oak barrels for 18 months of aging. While most people are not familiar with this variety, once we get them to taste the wine they are converts for life.
2001 $15.99 AVAILABLE
This wine is a mouthful of pleasure: lots of fruit, medium tannins and a long lingering finish. The Steele Cabernet Franc has a burnt sugar and mocha nose with a touch of blueberry. On the palate it is rich and well balanced with full velvety tannins. The long, full finish has a hint of cocoa. This is a very versatile red wine.

Pinot Blanc
Steele's two growers are Bien Nacido Vineyard and Goodchild Vineyard, which lies across the Sisquoc river from Bien Nacido. The fruit from this area tends to have tropical fruit aromas and flavors, as well as a green apple character. This wine is unique and has flavors that complement Asian foods and is always a hit with any of the lighter foods of summer.
2002 $15.99
Like Chardonnay we ferment Pinot Blanc in French Oak barrels. However, we use only 15% new French oak barrels and bottle the wine sooner than our Chardonnays. This brings out more of the fruit and gives us a crisp, fruity wine with just a hint of oak. The combination of more neutral oak and shorter barrel contact makes Steele Pinot Blanc a great value. This wine is unique with flavors of melon, pineapple, mango, and spice.

Chardonnay Goodchild
Goodchild Vineyard sits across the Sisquoc River from Bien Nacido and is a few more miles inland. It is a younger vineyard planted on the site of the old Goodchild land grant. Being further from the ocean and tucked behind some low hills, it is warmer than Bien Nacido and is harvested a week or so earlier. This wine shows the same tropical fruit aromas and flavors that are typical of Santa Barbara fruit.

Chardonnay Dupratt
Dupratt is a small mountain vineyard in southwestern Mendocino County at 1200 feet of elevation. Most famous for its 85-year-old Zinfandel vines, DuPratt has five acres of Chardonnay planted in 1983. This is a mountain wine in the sense that it has great backbone, acidity and structure. It is always the last Chardonnay to be harvested in any given vintage. A mineral quality and long finish frame aromas of pear and citrus. A wine worth waiting for.
2000 $26.99 SOLD OUT
"Ripe, with complex pear, fig and honeydew melon flavors that are a bit subdued on the finish. Drink now.600 cases made." Wine Spectator Web

Chardonnay Bien Nacido
Bien Nacido is a well-known vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley. On a bench that overlooks the Sisquoc River, the vineyard is quite large and has numerous slopes and aspects. Steele sources Chardonnay from "J" block which has a nice south slope. The wines are typical of Santa Barbara with lots of tropical fruit aromas and flavors.
2000 $26.99 AVAILABLE

Chardonnay Sangiacomo
Steele has purchased grapes from the Katarina vineyard for many years and in 1996 began to get grapes from the El Novillero block at their Donnell Ranch. This ranch is in a windy location near the Petaluma Gap. The wines have a citrus aroma and mineral flavors. Because of the moisture from SF Bay, these vineyards do sometimes get some Botrytis which shows up in the wines as a peachy-apricot character, and occasionally produces a luscious dessert wine.
2000 $26.99 available
"Creamy textured and elegantly styled, with a flash of smoky oak leading to ripe pear, apricot, honey and vanilla flavors, finishing with a rich core of flavors and delicate notes." 90 Wine Spectator Weekly12/11/03

Chardonnay Steele Cuvee
The flagship white wine, Steele Cuvee is an example of the art of blending. The process begins with our spectacular line-up of Chardonnay vineyards. As is their custom and house style, all of these Chardonnay grapes are gently crushed and pressed. The juice is fermented in French oak barrels of which 30% are new. The wine remains in barrels for eight months and the lees are stirred regularly as the wine finishes malolactic fermentation. The wine always has great depth of flavor, wonderful acidity and complex aromas. The hallmark of this wine is that it is so seamless and well integrated that it makes you want to have another glass without even thinking about it.
2004 $19.99 AVAILABLE
Keeping with our custom and house style, all of the grapes are gently crushed and pressed. The juice is fermented in French oak barrels of which 30% are new. The wine remains in barrels for eight months, the lees are stirred regularly, and the wine can finish malolactic fermentation. The real work comes when we choose which lots and which barrels will be blended to craft the Steele Cuvee. We hold back the wine lots that will become Vineyard Designated Chardonnay from each of the seven vineyards. We conduct blending trials to arrive at the best blend for the Steele Cuvee Chardonnay. The Cuvee consistently exhibits excellent depth of flavor, wonderful acidity and complex aromas. Due to the popularity of our Cuvee we have bottled this wine in both 750s and 375s. The hallmark of this wine ? it is so seamlessly layered and well integrated that it makes you want to have another glass without a second thought!

Jed Steele, Winemaker/Proprietor