Steve was born and raised in North Dakota, where he grew up working on his family’s farm. While earning a degree in literature from the University of Washington, Steve spent six months abroad living above a wine shop in Paris, where he fell in love with the culture of wine. Returning to the U.S., he enrolled in the masters of enology and viticulture program at UC Davis, and put himself through university working with legendary winemaker Dan Goldfield at La Crema. In the years that followed, Steve honed his craft at Saintsbury, and later at Rombauer, where he helped to oversee the winery’s custom crush operations for such elite wineries as Dominus, Spottswoode and Duckhorn Vineyards.

After spending two years at Spring Mountain Vineyard, where he began refining his approach to crafting mountain-grown Cabernet Sauvignon, Steve was invited by famed consultant Ted Lemon to become the winemaker at Clos Pegase. “My six years at Clos Pegase were a wonderful experience,” says Steve. “It was an inspiring environment, where Ted and I pushed boundaries as we explored classic winemaking techniques along with innovative new approaches.” In 2002, Steve joined Cuvaison Estate Wines. “Joining the company was an incredible opportunity to work with both the iconic Cuvaison winery in Los Carneros, and to help realize the remarkable untapped potential of Brandlin Vineyard on Mount Veeder.”

In the vineyard and the winery, Steve has developed methods to achieve Brandlin’s complex and alluring style, including techniques to tame the vineyard’s robust mountain tannins, while still yielding beautifully structured wines with vibrant fruit and varietal nuance. “Great wines don’t come from a single vintage—they are the culmination of years of knowledge and experience.” adds Steve. “For more than 15 years, I have had the incredible fortune to make wines from this historic property. It is an honor to carry on the winegrowing legacy established by the Brandlin family almost a century ago.”