The typical winemaking style for our Cabernet Franc is a warm fermentation followed by pressing and racking. The wine then goes to oak barrels and generally spends 12 months in French oak. Aromas are of raspberry and cassis with peppery undertones, on the palate you will find blueberry and raspberry fruit, with notes of coffee and cocoa.
Vineyards
Lake County allows us to produce varieties in styles that would make our neighbors to the south a bit jealous. One of these varietals is Cabernet Franc. When we started buying grapes from the vineyard of Floyd Silva, we found that he was growing some of the best Cabernet Franc that we had ever tasted. The Silva Vineyard is on a gravelly bench, which is located in the Kelsey Bench AVA of Lake County. The vines grow well at this higher elevation and show a great balance of flavors and structure.
Food Pairings
The rich fruit of this wine will compliment grilled filet steaks or a seared Ahi tuna.
2020 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills, Lake County
The grapes are pressed into stainless steel tank and undergo 2-3 week fermentation with an extended maceration to extract every ounce of flavor. This wine is laid down in French oak barrels to age for a year. This wine has a rich, fruit-forward elegance. A spicy fruit and berry core, backed up by soft tannins, makes it a nice glass of wine for casual sipping among friends.
Vineyards
The Red Hills appellation in Lake County is a fairly new AVA (American Viticultural Area). The iron-rich, red soil of Red Hills is laden with obsidian, a glassy black volcanic rock that glistens in the afternoon sun. Well-known Napa Valley grape grower Andy Beckstoffer bought up a piece of the Red Hills AVA, planting it in Cabernet Sauvignon and other Bordeaux varietals. We have been receiving clone 6 and clone 37 grapes from this vineyard since 2002.
Food Pairings
This classic Cabernet Sauvignon will pair wonderfully with any red meat. Try it with a spice-rubbed rib-eye steak or a rack of lamb.
We keep the temperatures on our fermentations moderate to develop the color and flavors inherent in this wine. Then aged in American oak barrels for 8 months. This wine has an intense fruit of ripe cherry and blueberry, complemented by hints of spice and sweet oak that adds to its complexity. The palate is full of ripe wild berries, and it has round tannin on the finish. This wine is well-balanced.
Vineyards
This Zinfandel blend was made with a combination of three different vineyards, highlighting the best of each one. High Valley provides the structure, Red Hills the roundness, and Mendocino County the intensity of fruit aromas.
Food Pairings
We recommend you enjoy this wine with BBQ, roast duck, Shannon Ranch Grass-Fed lamb chops, and cheeses such as Parmigiano Reggiano, aged Gouda, or a dry jack.
Specs
Vintage: 2020
Varietal: Zinfandel
Appellation: 84% Lake County, 16% Mendocino County
Barrel Aging: 8 months in American oak
Alcohol: 15.5%
pH: 3.75
Total Acidity: 0.57g/100mL
Residual Sugar: 4.9g/L
Production: 1,963 cases
What’s Included
3-bottles:
1x 2020 Steele Cabernet Franc, Lake County
1x 2020 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills, Lake County
A staple of Lake County for the last nearly 30 years, Steele Winery carries on the legacy of its founder Jed Steele with a focus on small allotments of a wide range of wine varietals. Shannon Family of Wines purchased Steele in 2020 and has continued Jed’s practice of craftsmanship winemaking.
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
I really do enjoy Cab Franc, so a big THANK YOU!! to Alice and team for launching this my way.
Pairing was hastily put together mushroom and bell pepper tacos. Honestly, this was a great pairing. My thought was play off the earthiness with the mushroom and see how the “green” flavors go with the bell peppers. The wine had a good acid that cut some crema, but nothing overpowered anything else.
To compare this to other frequent Casemates Cab Franc Favorites, this is in line with a Pedroncelli CF and not the broodiness of a Two Jakes CF.
I don’t get “cellar for a long time”, but this is fun and fresh – it deserves to be enjoyed soon anyway.
Color: dark ruby with a clear meniscus. Ultra clear even considering it was on a truck 24 hours ago
Nose: strawberry, leather, dust, cedar tree
Mouth: crisp, bright, good balance of tannin, minimal “green” taste, touch of white pepper
Enthusiast on the zin:
89 Points. Serious and well-structured, this full-bodied wine offers moderate black fruit flavors along with beefy, savory notes on a texture braced by medium tannins. It has the heft and complexity for pairing with juicy, rich meat dishes. JG 12/1/22 (this note has 14.5 for the abv?)
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Steele Mixed Bold Reds - $55 = 24.99%
Unfortunately, I have to make this a quick review this morning, but don’t assume that’s a bad thing.
Got the rat-pack(age) on Monday, but wasn’t able to crack it open until last night. I really enjoy cabs in general to really pleased to see what was inside.
Opening was a non-event… clean cork pull, dark even color and a mellow aroma… nothing sharp or bitter here in the early presentation.
First sip was as if it was breathing for an hour. Very light on the palate, with a clean and dry finish. This is some really easy-drinking stuff. It also didn’t have the sweetness I often associate with cabs on first open… this was as mellow drinking as it was smelling. Loving it.
Was able to enjoy this with some homemade smoked pork ribs, and it paired wonderfully.
Also, enjoyed the little bonus gift this round. I will cherish my new favorite wine glass.
Thanks, as always to Alice and Casemates for keeping me in mind for these. I typically enjoy the selections I’m offered and this was no exception. Probably one of the best I’ve had.
At this price, it’s a STEEL. See what I did there?
My wife and I reviewed the 2020 Steele Cuvée Zinfandel, Lake/Mendocino Counties and I’ll list my notes below. We paired this with veal scallopine with a Marsala pan sauce.
Nose:
My wife: Very sweet, somewhat hot and not that expressive.
Myself: Sweet, there was some heat but it varied. One sniff got some chocolate but that was it.
Mouth:
My wife: Tasted like sugary blackberries. Was smooth but not layered.
Myself: I felt this was like the Prisoner (and for the record I don’t like the Prisoner). It was sweet and what a lot of people think red wine should be but it wasn’t my taste. I got a lot of sweet blackberry and that was about it. I’m not adverse to sweeter red wines but this was over the top. This was well made wine, but it was not my taste.
@dioniseuss Thanks for review, I agree with you about (not liking) perceptible sweetness in red wines, and this is a bit surprising for a Lake County wine. I usually expect that more from central coast or other mid-Cali regions.
The others especially the CF sound pretty good, but Zins I tend to avoid as many of them seem to be ´this way’
2020 Steele Cabernet Franc, Lake County
Tasting Notes
Vineyards
Food Pairings
Specs
2020 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills, Lake County
Vineyards
Food Pairings
Specs
2020 Steele Cuvée Zinfandel, Lake/Mendocino Counties
90 points ~ Wine Enthusiast
Tasting Notes
Vineyards
Food Pairings
Specs
What’s Included
3-bottles:
Case:
Price Comparison
$396.00/Case for 4x 2020 Steele Cabernet Franc, Lake County + 4x 2020 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon, Red Hills, Lake County + 4x 2020 Steele Cuvée Zinfandel, Lake/Mendocino Counties at Steele Wines
About The Winery
Minimalist & Inventive
Available States
AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, FL, GA, IL, IA, ME, MD, MA, MI, MN, MO, MT, NV, NM, NY, NC, ND, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VT, VA, WA, WI
Estimated Delivery
Monday, Jun 26 - Thursday, Jun 29
Steele Mixed Bold Reds
3 bottles for $54.99 $18.33/bottle + $2.67/bottle shipping
Case of 12 for $164.99 $13.75/bottle + $1/bottle shipping
2020 Steele Cabernet Franc
2020 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon
2020 Steele Cuvée Zinfandel
2020 Steele Cabernet Franc, Lake County
Good Evening All!
I really do enjoy Cab Franc, so a big THANK YOU!! to Alice and team for launching this my way.
Pairing was hastily put together mushroom and bell pepper tacos. Honestly, this was a great pairing. My thought was play off the earthiness with the mushroom and see how the “green” flavors go with the bell peppers. The wine had a good acid that cut some crema, but nothing overpowered anything else.
To compare this to other frequent Casemates Cab Franc Favorites, this is in line with a Pedroncelli CF and not the broodiness of a Two Jakes CF.
I don’t get “cellar for a long time”, but this is fun and fresh – it deserves to be enjoyed soon anyway.
Color: dark ruby with a clear meniscus. Ultra clear even considering it was on a truck 24 hours ago
Nose: strawberry, leather, dust, cedar tree
Mouth: crisp, bright, good balance of tannin, minimal “green” taste, touch of white pepper
@radiolysis nice rattage!
@radiolysis @TimW Yes thanks for rattage and photo. I also like Cab Franc hard to find as it is so might get this case primarily for that varietal.
And yes I understand what you mean about « broodiness of a Two Jakes CF. » it was, um, broody?
Enthusiast on the zin:
89 Points. Serious and well-structured, this full-bodied wine offers moderate black fruit flavors along with beefy, savory notes on a texture braced by medium tannins. It has the heft and complexity for pairing with juicy, rich meat dishes. JG 12/1/22 (this note has 14.5 for the abv?)
fwiw
How much more are you saving by buying a full case?
(Note: tax and shipping are not included in savings calculations).
Steele Mixed Bold Reds - $55 = 24.99%
2020 Steele Cabernet Sauvignon
Unfortunately, I have to make this a quick review this morning, but don’t assume that’s a bad thing.
Got the rat-pack(age) on Monday, but wasn’t able to crack it open until last night. I really enjoy cabs in general to really pleased to see what was inside.
Opening was a non-event… clean cork pull, dark even color and a mellow aroma… nothing sharp or bitter here in the early presentation.
First sip was as if it was breathing for an hour. Very light on the palate, with a clean and dry finish. This is some really easy-drinking stuff. It also didn’t have the sweetness I often associate with cabs on first open… this was as mellow drinking as it was smelling. Loving it.
Was able to enjoy this with some homemade smoked pork ribs, and it paired wonderfully.
Also, enjoyed the little bonus gift this round. I will cherish my new favorite wine glass.
Thanks, as always to Alice and Casemates for keeping me in mind for these. I typically enjoy the selections I’m offered and this was no exception. Probably one of the best I’ve had.
At this price, it’s a STEEL. See what I did there?
Great rattage, doesn’t sound like these are fruit bombs, love the varietals… in!
/giphy quiet-endearing-wire
@mattykillpatty The CF was “fruity” but not “bomb”. Not over ripe and not raisiny in the least.
2020 Steele Cuvée Zinfandel
Hi All!
My wife and I reviewed the 2020 Steele Cuvée Zinfandel, Lake/Mendocino Counties and I’ll list my notes below. We paired this with veal scallopine with a Marsala pan sauce.
Nose:
My wife: Very sweet, somewhat hot and not that expressive.
Myself: Sweet, there was some heat but it varied. One sniff got some chocolate but that was it.
Mouth:
My wife: Tasted like sugary blackberries. Was smooth but not layered.
Myself: I felt this was like the Prisoner (and for the record I don’t like the Prisoner). It was sweet and what a lot of people think red wine should be but it wasn’t my taste. I got a lot of sweet blackberry and that was about it. I’m not adverse to sweeter red wines but this was over the top. This was well made wine, but it was not my taste.
@dioniseuss Thanks for review, I agree with you about (not liking) perceptible sweetness in red wines, and this is a bit surprising for a Lake County wine. I usually expect that more from central coast or other mid-Cali regions.
The others especially the CF sound pretty good, but Zins I tend to avoid as many of them seem to be ´this way’
But great username, by the way.
@dioniseuss makes sense
Total Acidity: 0.57g/100mL
Residual Sugar: 4.9g/L
@dioniseuss @losthighwayz so “roughly” in the neighborhood of InZinerator