Leo Steen
Leo Hansen, Chenin Blanc and old-vine Sonoma reds
Leo Steen is a wine producer in Sonoma, California, United States. LeMieux Wine Co. distributes Leo Steen wines to licensed restaurants, bars and retailers in Michigan.
The Dane
Leo Hansen grew up in Denmark and trained at Kong Hans Kælder in Copenhagen before moving to California. He's one of the few producers in the state who has staked everything on Chenin Blanc, a grape California largely abandoned decades ago when Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc took over. Leo didn't get the memo, or he got it and threw it away. The Saini Vineyard is his anchor, old-vine Chenin that makes wines closer to the Loire than to anything else growing in Sonoma.
Wines
The Chenin Blanc comes in multiple expressions, the variety is the constant, the treatment varies. He also works Carignan, Grenache, and other Mediterranean grapes from Sonoma's heritage plantings, old vines that predate the county's Pinot Noir obsession. The wines are restrained and food-driven, the kind of bottles that make a sommelier's night easier. A pot of the Carignan with grilled lamb. Happiness.
At a glance
- Home
- Healdsburg, Sonoma County
- Farming
- Trusted growers across Sonoma and Mendocino; Rose Ranch is certified biodynamic
- Background
- Danish, raised in a chef and hotelier family
- House grape
- Chenin Blanc, in a state that mostly forgot it
Wines in our book
- Bubbles of Steen, Sparkling Chenin, 2023, 2022Sparkling · California · Chenin Blanc
- Cabernet Franc, Ascona, 2022Red · California · Cabernet franc
- Cabernet Sauvignon, Tin Cross, 2022Red · California · Cabernet sauvignon
- Chardonnay, Gimelli Vineyard, 2023White · California · Chardonnay
- Chenin Blanc, Gimelli Vineyard, 2024White · California · Chenin Blanc
- Chenin Blanc, Jurassic Vineyard, 2022White · California · Chenin Blanc
- Chenin Blanc, Peaberry, 2023White · California · Chenin Blanc
- Chenin Blanc, Saini Farms, 2024White · California · Chenin Blanc
- Chenin Blanc, SØD, Late Harvest, Angelica, 2011Dessert · California · Chenin Blanc
- Grenache, Rose Ranch, 2023Rose · California · Grenache
- Merlot, The Ladder, 2022Red · California · Merlot
- Pinot Noir, Filigreen Farms, 2021Red · California · Pinot Noir
- Red Field Blend, Casa Verde, 2023Red Blend · California · Red Blend
- Rose of Grenache, Rose Ranch, 2024Rose · California · Grenache Rose
More about Leo Steen
For Michigan restaurants, bars and retailers
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