We are very proud of the excellence we bring to our Stephen Ross Wine Cellars wines. This page contains our current releases, though not all may be available from the winery. We also have available Tech Sheets on current and past wines in .pdf format. Also, check out our own tasting notes on past wines in our Cellar, our newsletter and our mailing list.  For pricing, please see our Sales Order Form.

2007 Chardonnay - Edna Valley

This appellation Chardonnay has traditionally been a blend of three Edna Valley vineyards in varying amounts. This year Wolff Vineyard made up 43% of the blend, followed by Edna Ranch at 39% and Oliver's Vineyard at 18%. The 2006 season was very cool leading to a late harvest and long hang-time. Crop yields were above average at 2.5 - 3 tons per acre. This wine was grown at three hilly sites in the Edna Valley, which are southwest facing and consist of clay loam soils mixed with small white calcareous stones.

The wine's aroma is generous with notes of nutmeg, allspice, apples, citrus and toasty hazelnut. It is accented with spice from the oak barrels and perfume from the sur lies aging. The textures are smooth and creamy with refreshing acidity.

2007 Chardonnay - Oliver's Vineyard

The 2007 season was remarkable for its consistently cool temperatures following a sub-average rainfall winter. Crop yields were about average at 2.0 tons per acre.

This is a very expressive and aromatic wine - the nose is reminiscent of peaches, nectarines, and fresh baked pastries. It has refreshing levels of acidity and roundness from the malolactic fementation and sur lies aging. Unencumbered by oak, this stainless steel version of Oliver's Vineyard Chardonnay shows wonderful fruit balanced by sur lie aging in a small stainless steel tank, and finishing with bright acidity. Wine Enthusiast Magazine 91 point rating.

293 cases produced - Tech Sheet

2007 Chardonnay - Bien Nacido Vineyard

The 2007 season was very cool leading to a late harvest and long hang-time. The crop size was moderate at two tons per acre and the grapes had sufficient hang-time to develop pronounced varietal flavors. The wine matured sur lies for 10 months in barrels.

This is a very expressive and aromatic wine - the nose is very open with notes of citrus rind, farm ripened apples, and hazelnuts. It is brilliant in appearance, pale straw in color, and has refreshing levels of acidity and moderate levels of French oak. While leaning toward Californian in its ripe flavors and forward aromas, it has the structure and elegance of a European Chardonnay. This is a great wine to accompany a variety of foods.



2008 Pinot Noir - Central Coast

The 2008 season was remarkable for its consistently cool temperatures following a winter of sub-average rainfall. Crop yields were slightly below average - around 2 to 3 tons per acre.

This is a deep ruby-red, purplish colored Pinot Noir with a mixture of aromas reminiscent of red berries, dried mushrooms, savory spices, cedar and forest floor. The palate is rich and creamy with fine tannins and balanced acidity. This is an easy drinking, supple Pinot Noir with an array of complex aromas coming from several vineyards on California's South Central Coast. Wine Spectator Magazine 87 point rating.

2007 Pinot Noir - Edna Valley

The 2007 season was remarkable for its consistently cool temperatures following a winter of sub-average rainfall. Crop yields were slightly below average - around 1.5 to 2.0 tons per acre.

Our 2007 Edna Valley Pinot Noir is the best version of this wine in the last several years. The combination of a great vintage and working with superb vineyards, including our own Stone Corral Vineyard, make this a wonderful bottling. In general, most California Pinot Noir producers are ecstatic about the quality of the 2007 vintage, and this was true for Stephen Ross as well. This is a deeply colored, rich, concentrated Pinot Noir. The aromas are reminiscent of raspberries, cherries, cola and spicy clove; it is a yummy wine with complex Pinot Noir flavors and fine tannins yielding a silky refined palate and finish.

1,923 cases produced - Tech Sheet

2007 Pinot Noir - Bien Nacido Vineyard

The 2007 season was remarkable for its consistently cool temperatures following a sub-average rainfall winter. Crop yields were slightly below average around 2.5 tons per acre.

This marks the third year that Stephen Ross used new inter-planted Dijon clones at Bien Nacido Vineyard. Moving to the new clones gave this wine more red fruit aroma and less white pepper spicy notes commonly associated with Bien Nacido Vineyard. The wine has very pretty aromas and silky, fine tannins. Its nose is reminiscent of ripe cherries, chocolate and cedar with forest floor notes. The textures are fine and creamy. Wine Advocate magazine 90 point rating.

195 cases produced - Tech Sheet

2007 Pinot Noir - Chorro Creek Vineyard

This is a new vineyard in the Stephen Ross lineup of Pinot Noirs. The vineyard was planted in 2000 by E. & J. Gallo on land along Chorro Creek between the cities of San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. This is a very cool site with a strong marine influence from the Pacific Ocean just 5 miles to the west. The wine has a nose like red raspberries and cranberries, and the taste is yummy. In the Stephen Ross style, the textures are velvety and the cool climate where this wine was grown adds a nice level of acidity, which makes the wine refreshing and food friendly.

196 cases produced 

2006 Pinot Noir - Aubaine Vineyard

The 2006 season was very cool leading to a late harvest and long hang-time. The vine canopy was open as a result of shoot positioning and cluster thinning so that the clusters were fully exposed to the morning and afternoon sun. Yields were moderate at 1.4 tons per acre, and berry size was very small which yielded a very concentrated wine.

The cool vintage and low yield resulted in a very aromatic Pinot Noir with good concentration and acidity. As in previous years, this wine has aromas of blueberry and blackberry, and a vibrant ruby color. The palate is elegant and graceful with fine tannins and good acid that will allow aging for several years. It finishes with lingering berry flavors and spicy notes.

276 cases produced - Tech Sheet

2006 Pinot Noir - Stone Corral Vineyard

We consider this our flagship wine. The vineyard is farmed organically where compost is added to the vineyard in the fall and a winter cover crop is grown to add nitrogen to the soil as well as green mulch. During the summer months the vines are trained and positioned so the fruit is partially exposed to sunlight to allow maturation of skin and seed tannin as well as flavor development.

The 2006 season was very cool and the harvest was late providing good hang-time for ripening. Vineyard yields were very low, 1.5 tons/acre at Wolff Vineyard and 1.4 tons/acre at Stone Corral Vineyard. The wine has aromas of boysenberry and black truffles and is quite remarkable for its weight, concentration and voluptuous tannins on the palate.

198 cases produced - Tech Sheet



2006 Zinfandel - Dante Dusi Vineyard

The 2005 growing season was generally cool and moderate. Yields from the vineyard were low at about 1.5 tons per acre, and that led to wines with very concentrated flavors and fairly high sugars. Winemaking style focuses on balance, fruit flavors, moderate French oak, and a ripe but restrained alcohol level.

This is a brilliant, dark ruby and garnet colored Zinfandel with forward cranberry, cardamom, and dried rose petal aromas. It is fairly soft and smooth with a richness and balance that supports the red fruit flavors. Elegant and delicious, this wine matches well with hearty meals.



2004 Petite Sirah, Thomann Station

Planted in 1997 from Hayne Vineyard budwood and located in Louis Martini Winery's backyard, this wine demonstrates why in 1968 the most widely planted varietal in the Napa Valley was Petite Sirah. It addresses, in a powerful way, all aspects of classic red wine - great color, forward fruit aromas and full, voluptuous textures. The grapes for Stephen Ross are shipped from the Napa Valley to the winery in San Luis Obispo in a refrigerated truck. Winemaking for this varietal is similar to Pinot Noir winemaking: fermentation in a small stainless steel tank, the cap is punched down by hand, pressing takes place in a small basket press and the wine is aged in Burgundia French oak barrels.

The wine is really impressive for its dark, dense ruby color, and mouth-filling soft tannins. It has ripe blue-fruit aromas very much like blueberry and blackberry, with traces of violet flower and black pepper; and it is thick, rich and flavorful on the palate. It is such a showy wine that it may be most appreciated accompanied simply by cheese such as Manchego or Humboldt Fog blue and a baguette.

442 cases produced - Tech Sheet