We produce two Chardonnays, an appellation wine from the Edna Valley, and a vineyard designated wine from Bien Nacido Vineyard in the Santa Maria Valley.  Both Chardonnays are made in the traditional Burgundian style; barrel fermented in French oak barrels, full malolactic fermentation, aged sur lies, fined with organic milk and non-filtered.  Approximately one-third of our total production at Stephen Ross is Chardonnay, primarily with our Edna Valley blend and a limited amount of Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay.

The Edna Valley Chardonnay is primarily a blend of Edna Ranch and Talley Vineyard’s Oliver’s Vineyard.  Both vineyards are located in the southern end of the Edna Valley and consist of clay loam soils with an abundance of small white chalky stones.  The wine is aromatic and fruit forward, rich on the palate with good acidity, and finishes with a hint of oak and tropical fruit flavors.  In addition to 750 ml bottles we put this wine into 375 ml bottles.

Oliver’s Vineyard is located in the southeastern portion of the Edna Valley. It benefits from a south-east exposure and is positioned at the base of rolling hills that protect it, along with an evergreen windbreak, from the Pacific Ocean breezes borne four miles to the west. 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.

The Bien Nacido Vineyard Chardonnay is more European in style with its refined elegant nose and higher level of acidity.  It is grown in four rows of Block J at Bien Nacido Vineyard.  Situated in the Santa Maria Valley where there are well drained soils and a cool climate, this is a classic Chardonnay with ripe nectarine and custard like aromas and firm acidity that pairs well with a variety of dishes.

These unctuous and elegant Chardonnays capture the essence of their respective terroirs. 

Stephen Ross focuses on growing and producing Pinot Noir. About half of our production is Pinot Noir that we bottle under five different appellation and/or vineyard designations. We offer a Central Coast and Edna Valley appellation wine as well as a Bien Nacido Vineyard, Aubaine Vineyards and our estate vineyard, Stone Corral Vineyard.

Our Central Coast Pinot Noir is a great value wine and is made from barrel lots grown at our estate vineyard and/or vineyards with which we have long term agreements. Depending on the overall quality of the vintage, the size of this blend varies greatly. We do not source vineyards specifically for this wine, but rather utilize existing barrel lots in the cellar that may not meet the standard for that particular label. It is not unusual to find some of our estate vineyard going into the Central Coast blend. This is light style Pinot Noir with nice fruit aromas and soft tannins. It is bottled under screw cap and meant for early consumption.

The largest single bottling of red wine at Stephen Ross is our Edna Valley Pinot Noir. It is very dark in color, exudes red cherry and plum aromas, and has firm tannins that complement hearty dishes. This appellation Pinot Noir is a blend of our estate vineyard Stone Corral Vineyard in addition to two other Edna Valley vineyards, Edna Ranch and Wolff Vineyards. In addition to 750 ml bottles we put this wine into 375 ml bottles.

The Bien Nacido Vineyard Pinot Noir is very aromatic and showy with deep raspberry fruit and its trademark spicy, white pepper aroma; a voluptuous and impeccably balanced wine. The vineyard is located about 14 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean on the northern edge of the Santa Maria river valley. The soils are very well drained, the climate is cool and sunlight is plentiful. This site is extremely well suited for growing Pinot Noir.

Aubaine Vineyards is a new vineyard that we started working with in 2004. Stephen Dooley met the vineyard owner Bob McHolland at a Vintners Association meeting and where he was invited to see his vineyard. We saw the vineyard for the first time, along with Mike Sinor from Domaine Alfred, during the winter of 2003/2004 and were impressed by the location; 800’ elevation, 5 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean and a slope that faces directly southwest into  cool southern central coast sunlight. There was a lush cover crop growing and I knew we were onto a good thing. Working with the grower, we established the architecture of the vines, thinned the crop to 15 – 18 clusters per vine and pulled leaves to open the fruit to sunlight in order to fully develop fruit flavor and tannin polymerization. The results were stunning. The site produces a deep darkly colored wine with a strong fruit expression in the nose and voluptuous polished tannins that finish with a lasting impression.

Stone Corral Vineyard is located in the southeastern portion of the Edna Valley. It enjoys a south-east exposure and is positioned at the base of rolling hills that protect it from the Pacific Ocean breezes borne four miles to the West. The vineyard consists of 27.45 acres, developed in partnership relationship with Talley Vineyards, of which Stephen Ross occupies 9.15 acres. It was planted in 2001 and is unique in the Edna Valley for its well-drained sandy loam soil. It yields a powerful wine, which is quite dark in color with a “blue fruit” aroma; and has ample polished tannins. It is a rich, concentrated and velvety Pinot Noir. 
 

A small amount of Petite Sirah is made from Louis Martini’s Thomann Station located behind their winery in St. Helena, Napa Valley. During the 70’s and 80’s the land was planted to Merlot and the wine was less than spectacular. Phylloxera wiped out the vineyard during the 90’s, and the Martini family replanted the vineyard to Petite Sirah with budwood from the well known Haynes Vineyard in 1997. The site produced a truly amazing wine noted for its deep dense color, aroma of violets and plums, and thick, rich texture.

Our Zinfandel comes from a classic old head-trained vineyard in Paso Robles called Dante Dusi Vineyard. The vineyard story goes: two vineyards were planted by Sylvester Dusi in 1945 and 1946, one for each of his sons who go by the names of Benito and Dante. To this day, 2006, the vineyards are owned as separate vineyards by the two brothers. Benito Dusi’s vineyard borders the east side of Highway 101 and Dante Dusi’s vineyard borders the west side and they are separated by about a mile; Benito lying to the north. The Stephen Ross Dante Dusi Zinfandel has very forward raspberry fruit aromas, accented by a sweet cigar tobacco, savory herb note; it is rich and robust with moderate tannins and an elegant nature.