Steele Wines

Jedediah Tecumseh Steele was born in New York City in 1945, and his family moved to San Francisco when he was five. In 1968 he worked the first of two harvests at Stony Hill Vineyard in Napa Valley. He earned a master's degree in enology at the University of California at Davis, and before he graduated he was hired by Edmeades Winery in Mendocino County, a pioneer in Mendocino County's Anderson Valley. His resume also included stints with Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Washington, Fess Parker Winery in Santa Barbara County and Cardinale in Napa Valley. In 1982 Jess Jackson was planning to bottle eight different Chardonnays from vineyards up and down the state, and Steele agreed to consult with Jackson for 90 days; he ended up staying until 1990. Some of the fermentations had stuck, leaving the wine lightly sweet, and Jackson asked Steele to blend the eight planned bottlings into a single wine, mixing the sweet lots with lots that had fermented dry. The 1982 Kendall-Jackson California Chardonnay was listed as a Vintner's Reserve on its side label, and within a decade production exceeded a million cases a year. Impact Databank, Wine Spectator's sister publication, ranks Vintner's Reserve as the most popular Chardonnay sold in America from 1992 to 2022 by value. Winemaker Ric Forman was also instrumental in the start of the Vintner's Reserve program. Steele's exit from Kendall-Jackson soured into litigation: Steele sued for money owed and Jackson countersued, accusing Steele of breaches that included revealing trade secrets of the Chardonnay program, and a judge ruled in Jackson's favor.

• 1968: first of two harvests at Stony Hill Vineyard, Napa Valley
• Master's degree in enology, University of California at Davis; hired by Edmeades Winery in Mendocino County before graduating
• Kendall-Jackson: initial winemaking consultant, made the first vintages of Vintner's Reserve; stayed until 1990
• Vintner's Reserve production exceeded a million cases a year within a decade

Jed Steele founded Steele Wines in 1991 and made its first vintage release in 1992. Steele eventually amassed 81 acres of vineyard in Lake County and also bought fruit from other parts of California. He made a practice of seeking out growers in lesser-known regions and promoting them by showcasing their vineyards, making small-lot, single-vineyard designated wines, and he later added wines from Santa Barbara's Bien Nacido vineyard to his lineup. Steele Wines became well known for its Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Zinfandel bottlings. Steele planted obscure cultivars such as the Austrian Blaufrankisch, eventually expanded to as many as 40 bottlings in a single year and kept his wines largely under $20. The San Francisco Chronicle characterized the Steele wines as fruity and rich, like the Vintner's Reserve style he had established, with alcohol levels sometimes crossing the 15% threshold. Alongside Steele Wines, the company had the offshoot brands Shooting Star, Stymie and Writer's Block; Steele's son Quincy worked alongside his father on Writer's Block. As of 2020 the flagship Steele brand focused on higher-end bottlings, while Shooting Star represented the value-priced end of the spectrum. When Clay Shannon bought land in Lake County in 1996, he was initially custom-crushing his wines at facilities outside the county, and Steele offered to do it at his winery instead. Steele earned the nickname "Mr. Lake County."

• Founded 1991; first vintage release 1992
• 81 acres of vineyard in Lake County, plus fruit bought from other parts of California
• Small-lot, single-vineyard designated wines from growers in lesser-known regions; later, Bien Nacido vineyard in Santa Barbara
• As many as 40 bottlings in a single year
• Offshoot brands: Shooting Star, Stymie and Writer's Block

Shannon Family of Wines purchased Steele in 2020. Clay and Angie Shannon, owners of the Shannon Ridge Family of Wines, bought Steele Wines from its founder, Jed Steele. The purchase included the winery's facilities and its portfolio of brands, among them Shooting Star, Stymie and Writer's Block, along with the wine inventory, and the terms were not disclosed. The facilities brought 2,500 tons of winemaking capacity and storage for 6,000 barrels. In 2020 Shannon also planned a visitor experience, Shannon Mercantile, at what was then the Steele tasting room in Kelseyville.

• 2020: Shannon Family of Wines purchased Steele
• Included: winery facilities, wine inventory and the Shooting Star, Stymie and Writer's Block brands
• Facilities: 2,500 tons of winemaking capacity and storage for 6,000 barrels

Shannon Family of Wines lists Clay Shannon and Angie Shannon as proprietors, Arjun Dewan as CEO, Carolina Vargas as head winemaker and Tasem Ramadan as production winemaker.

• Clay Shannon and Angie Shannon: proprietors
• Arjun Dewan: CEO
• Carolina Vargas: head winemaker
• Tasem Ramadan: production winemaker

Shannon Family of Wines presents Steele as carrying on the legacy of its founder Jed Steele with a focus on small allotments of a wide range of wine varietals. The current Steele releases are a Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 from Red Hills, Lake County, estate grown, a blend of 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Zinfandel and 9% Petit Verdot at 13.5% alcohol; a Chardonnay 2024 from Carneros, Napa County, 100% Chardonnay, barrel fermented and aged in European oak barrels with partial malolactic fermentation, at 14.3% alcohol; and a Pinot Noir Carneros 2024 from Carneros, Napa County, 99% Pinot Noir and 1% Mourvèdre, at 14.5% alcohol. In the group's tasting notes, the Pinot Noir shows subtle notes of dark cherry and hints of mocha on the nose, and the Cabernet Sauvignon ripe plum, pepper and hints of licorice.

• Cabernet Sauvignon 2023: Red Hills, Lake County; estate grown; 76% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Zinfandel, 9% Petit Verdot
• Chardonnay 2024: Carneros, Napa County; 100% Chardonnay; barrel fermented and aged in European oak
• Pinot Noir Carneros 2024: Carneros, Napa County; 99% Pinot Noir, 1% Mourvèdre

Primary sources (Shannon Family of Wines, owner of Steele): https://shannonfamilyofwines.com/collection/steele/, https://shannonfamilyofwines.com/wine/steele-cabernet-sauvignon-2023/, https://shannonfamilyofwines.com/wine/steele-cuvee-chardonnay-2024/, https://shannonfamilyofwines.com/wine/steele-pinot-carneros-2024/, https://shannonfamilyofwines.com/our-story/our-team/. Secondary sources: The Press Democrat (North Bay Business Journal, August 21, 2020; https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2020/08/21/lake-county-winery-acquisition-deal-creates-400000-case-california-north-coast-producer/) and San Francisco Chronicle (Esther Mobley, August 23, 2020; https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/Lake-County-s-Steele-Wines-is-purchased-by-15493811.php). Last verified 2026-10-21. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.