Sugar Mill Pinot Noir by Leo

Danish Leo Steen, who currently runs his own wine company (Leo Steen Wines) in Sonoma, is the “Scout” for this wine. Through his enormous network in the area, he has been able to select the right grapes and subsequently make the wine so that it matches a well-defined flavor profile that is targeted at fine gastronomy and the Danish market.

The name Sugar Mill refers to an old sugar mill, originally a sugar beet factory, which today functions as a winery for skilled Californian winegrowers.

Sugar Mill Pinot Noir is made from 99% Pinot Noir from the single-vineyard Wilson Vineyard, which is located just 2 miles from the old sugar mill, in the heart of the Clarksburg AVA. To round out the wine, Leo has added 1% Grenache, which contributes a little sweetness and juiciness. The grapes are picked relatively early to preserve freshness and limit the sugar content and thus the alcohol percentage. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks at The Sugar Mill and then transported to Leo Steen's premises in Sonoma, where it is matured for 5 months in older French oak barrels and 2 months in steel before being bottled unfiltered.

Sugar Mill Pinot Noir is a European-style Pinot Noir with Californian origins. Beautiful, clear ruby ​​red color. The wine is fresh and with good acidity, and it offers a delicious fruitiness with notes of wild strawberries, ripe raspberries and a touch of brown Christmas spices. Lovely aftertaste with food-friendly tannins and a balanced acidity. The wine is unfiltered, which helps ensure a harmonious and well-balanced structure. All in all, a sublime Pinot Noir experience and a wine with a unique connection between origin, quality and price.

The wine goes perfectly with venison, beef or also with delicious grilled salmon. Serve at approx. 17-18 °C and preferably a degree or two colder with the salmon.

A little about the house…
Behind Leo Steen Wines is Danish-born Leo Steen Hansen, who moved to California in 1999.
As the son of the then head chef at Kryb-i-Ly Kro, between Middelfart and Kolding, at the age of 20 he apprenticed with master sommelier Orla Farman at Munkebjerg Hotel.
Later, he was head sommelier at Restaurant Kong Hans in Copenhagen for a few years, before traveling to California to further his education and perhaps fulfill his dream of making wine.
He ended up in Sonoma and quickly got jobs as a waiter, sommelier and wine buyer at Dry Creek Kitchen and Cyrus Restaurant in Healdsburg.

In 2002, he began working in the cellar at Stuhmuller Vineyards in Alexander Valley, where he simultaneously completed an oenology education.
Today he is responsible for the vinification at Stuhmuller, but a few years ago he also started making a few wines under his own name, Leo Steen Wines, by finding grapes from carefully selected plots in California and vinifying them himself.
Leo has garnered great recognition for his wines, which are stylistically kept as close to the European style as possible, with good fruit and juice, but also with a good structure and a bite that goes well with good gastronomy.

99% Pinot Noir
1% Grenache
Alcohol: 13.5%
Contents: 75 cl