Steele Wines, Lake County Winery & Tasting Room

Jed Steele began in the cellar at Napa's Stony Hill before earning a master's in enology from UC Davis in 1974, then spent eight years as winemaker at Edmeades in Anderson Valley before Jess Jackson recruited him over hamburgers at Lakeport's Gaslight Grill to become the founding winemaker of Kendall-Jackson, where he accidentally created what became the industry-standard Chardonnay style. He launched Steele Wines in 1991, first leasing Lower Lake Winery, then buying the former Konocti Winery facility near Kelseyville in the mid 1990s.

Steele built a portfolio spanning labels like Shooting Star, Writer's Block, and Stymie, the last named for the racehorse whose winnings reportedly funded his family's move to San Francisco, producing around 72,000 cases a year from Lake County and beyond and championing the region long before it was fashionable. Jed Steele, widely credited as one of the key figures who put Lake County wine on the map, passed away at his Kelseyville home on October 31, 2025, at age 80.

Not Yet Reviewed

Dolia Winery

Lake County

Not Yet Reviewed

Fox and Bear Winery

Lake County

Not Yet Reviewed

Guenoc & Langtry Estate

Lake County

Not Yet Reviewed

Hawk And Horse Vineyards

Red Hills Lake County · Clear Lake

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Langtry Estate & Vineyards

Lake County

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Ledgewood Creek Winery

Lake County