Leo Steen - 'Saini Farms' - Chenin Blanc - Dry Creek Valley, CA - 2022

Vision: In many ways, it is only fitting that the centerpiece of my winemaking efforts is a bone - dry Chenin Blanc. Steen is my family’s middle name, and it is also the South African word for Chenin Blanc. I have long been fascinated by this sleek and elegant varietal. To make this wine, I sought out the oldest Chenin Blanc vines in Dry Creek Valley. In the winery, I strive to be true to the varietal and craft a fresh, lively wine with the ability to complement an array of modern cuisine.
Tasting Notes: This wine has alluring weight and richness, aromas of lemon-peel, Chamomile, crushed rocks and mint. The palate offers a silky texture and a medley of white flower, lemon salt, and almond notes, that carry through to a lingering refreshing finish with subtle mineral notes.
Production: 725 Cases
Vineyard: After years of searching for just the right Chenin Blanc to work with, I found what I was looking for in the 41 year-old vines of Saini Farms in Dry Creek Valley. Planted in Yolo sandy loam soils on an old river bottom site, these dry-farmed vines produce grapes that capture the fresh, enticing purity that can be achieved when Chenin Blanc is grown with care and respect.
Harvest: The 2021 growing season produced an exceptional vintage, cooler weather in the beginning of the season made for a slow start. A warm summer and lighter crop made for a fast and early harvest. The quality for the Saini Vineyard was excellent and luckily these old vines are dry farmed with the ongoing drought. The healthy canopies maintain the natural high acidity level that defines this wine. We hand picked our Saini Chenin Blanc the end of August at 21.4 brix.
Fermentation: After gently breaking the berries, the grapes underwent 2 to 3 hours of skin contact prior to pressing. The wine was fermented in stainless steel using indigenous yeast for approximately one month until complete dryness.
Cellar Notes: 90% of the wine was transferred to neutral French oak, with the remaining 10% placed in a concrete egg, with both aged for five months on fine lees. The final wine was blended in tank in February 2022.
Technical Notes:
Alcohol: 13.0%
pH: 3.38
Total Acid: 5.9 g/l

Malolactic Fermentation: 100%

All winemakers are shaped by their experiences, and the paths that have led them to their love of the grape. My personal journey has certainly shaped my sommelier’s palate, my gentle approach to natural winemaking, and the restrained, food-friendly style of my wines.
I was born and raised in Denmark, and as the son of a chef and hotelier, food and wine have always been a passionate part of my life. I grew up in the service industry, and started working in my father’s kitchen at the age of 12. When I was older, I earned a degree in business sales and marketing, but food and wine were in my blood, and I soon began studying at the Kolding Hotel and Restaurant School. During my four-year apprenticeship there, I was very fortunate to work alongside Orla Farmann, the national champion for the Danish Sommelier World Cup Team. Orla helped me develop my palate, and further deepened my love of wine.
Over the next several years, my love of wine took me to many places, from Alsace, Loire, Champagne and Burgundy to Spain and Italy. Those travels culminated in my certification as a European sommelier, and in 1997, I became the wine director at Kong Hans, Copenhagen’s first one-star Michelin guide restaurant. In time, my work at Kong Hans took me to California to scout out new wines for our list. I felt an immediate connection with California’s vibrant winemaking scene—both the quality of its wines and the freedom given to its winemakers.
In 1999, I moved to California to immerse myself in winemaking firsthand, and spent the next several years working days in wineries and nights as a sommelier. (My grape-stained fingers were part of the inspiration for the sommelier’s print.) At the same time, I complimented my practical experience by studying chemistry, viticulture and winemaking. My journey led me to Stuhlmuller Vineyards, an acclaimed, family-run winery in the Alexander Valley, where I ultimately became winemaker in 2004—the same year I founded Leo Steen Wines.
Since then, I have worked to hone my craft, always with an eye towards that place where style and vineyard authenticity naturally meet. My classically trained European palate is a part of that equation. So is my appreciation for the charm and character of great California winemaking. As a result, I have developed a gentle approach that focuses more on natural yeasts, lower alcohols and less new oak. The winemaker in me thinks about the organic, biodynamic and sustainable vineyards I am privileged to work with in Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz and Mendocino, and what I love about them. While my sommelier side reminds me that great wine finds its most elegant expression served alongside good food in the company of family and friends. I hope you find both sides of this philosophy realized in my wines.