Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Leo Hansen, founder of Leo Steen Wines, already an experienced classically-trained wine palate—Alsace, Loire, Champagne and Burgundy to Spain and Italy. Certified as a European sommelier and in 1997 he became the wine director at Kong Hans, Copenhagen's first one-star Michelin guide restaurant. He was the winemaker at family-run Sthulmuller Vineyards when he launched his winery. He is making some of California's most stunning wines. The 2012 Leo Steen Wines The Steen Chenin Blanc from the Jurassic Vineyard is simply amazing and far different from other Chenin Blancs—most are medium sweet and quite simple. His wines are serious—paying homage to the Loire Valley's Savennières. The wine's tremendous concentration of exotic fruits and ripe melon on the palate and finish of bracing minerality make it a clear choice with hamachi and real wasabi sauce—pounded from the root and not made from the powder. Drinking well now. (Tasted: August 24, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. It shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. Somm Secret—Landing in South Africa in the mid 1800s, today the country has double the acreage of Chenin Blanc planted compared to France. There is also a new wave of dedicated producers committed to restoring old Chenin vines.
Ranging from cool and foggy in the west to warm and dry in the east, the Santa Ynez Valley is a climatically diverse growing area. The most expansive AVA within the larger Santa Barbara County region, Santa Ynez is also home to a wide variety of soil types and geographical features. The appellation is further divided into four distinct sub-AVAs—Sta. Rita Hills, Ballard Canyon, Los Olivos District and Happy Canyon—each with its own defining characteristics.
A wide selection of grapes is planted here—more than sixty different varieties, and counting. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in the chilly west, while Zinfandel, Rhône blends, and Bordeaux blends rule the arid east. Syrah is successful at both ends of the valley, with a lean and peppery, Old-World sensibility closer to the coast and lush berry fruit further inland.