Steele Canyon Cellars

STEELE CANYON CELLARS is the Scotto Family’s Napa Valley Winery and barrel aging cave, where winemakers Paul Scotto, Mitch Cosentino and Mark Smith produce and age small lots of artisan wine.

The Scotto Family

Our family's vinous heritage and history dates back to 1883 when Salvatore Dominic Scotto, an officer in the Italian Navy, began making wine at his home on the Island of Ischia, just off the coast of Italy.  In addition to making wine for his family (a long-held custom in Italy), Salvatore also treated his friends and neighbors to the fruits of his labor.

Great-great grandpa Salvatore passed his skills along to his son (and our great-grandfather) Dominic, who migrated to Brooklyn in 1903 and continued the family's winemaking tradition in America. He carried on the Scotto heritage with his sons who sold their father’s homemade wine in five-gallon crocks from the family's horse drawn cart. After Prohibition, Anthony Sr. (our grandfather) and his older brother Sal created Villa Armando (nicknamed Rustico).  Rustico is still produced today and has filled 200,000,000 glasses since its inception, making it one of California's oldest wine brands.

In 1933 the Scotto brothers opened D. Scotto Wines in Brooklyn to sell quality wines from around the world.  The store remains open under new owners and was the site of a recent family celebration as seen in the photo below.  1963 marked the family's first harvest in California as they continued making Villa Armando from their own vineyard and expanded production to other brands and market segments.

Today we are a 5th-generation family owned and managed wine producing company.  We take pride in treating our team not only as collaborators but also as family members who are encouraged to think creatively and live with a can-do attitude. For five generations our family has embraced the Old World traditions of sharing meals and celebrating meaningful moments with friends.  Wine has always been a centerpiece of these events and a reflection of the Italian heritage we so proudly embrace.

Mitch Cosentino joined the Steele Canyon team in mid 2014. In addition to his Napa Valley winemaking experience, Mitch brought long standing relationships with some of the areas foremost vineyard sources that enhanced the winery’s varietal and Meritage wines. He was a pioneer in the development of Meritage wines in the 1980’s, including California’s first Meritage bottling. In addition, his Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon has been recognized as the “Best Cabernet Sauvignon of the Year” and in 2003 he was recognized as the Andre Tchelistcheff Winemaker of the Year.

“I want my wines to showcase the balance, complexity and power of Napa Valley. For me, this means Cabernet Sauvignon that ages well but is enjoyable upon release. We want Chardonnay to be bright, well balanced, and influenced but not dominated by subtle French oak. We usually avoid malolactic fermentation to retain natural acidity and enhance the ability to age gracefully.”

5th generation winemaker Paul Scotto is a U.C. Davis Viticulture and Management graduate with a broad range of wine experience. After selling vineyard and construction equipment in the U.S. and Asia, Paul joined his family’s wine business and built the Sera Fina winery and two tasting rooms in Amador County, where he makes small lots of award winning wines from the Sierra Foothill region. Since 2009, he has also managed his family’s production at their Lodi winery and sourced grapes across California’s finest growing regions. In 2013, this vineyard sourcing led to a unique opportunity in the rolling hills in eastern Napa Valley – Steele Canyon Cellars, where Paul leads an accomplished team of winemakers in the production of small lots of Napa Valley wines. Paul specializes in Charbono, Pinot Noir and Semillon.

Winemaker Mark Smith: “I consider myself very fortunate to work in an inspirational setting like Napa Valley. The varied soils, topography and moderate climate are ideal for the production of world-class wine grapes, so our challenge is to live up to these standards and create outstanding wines. I want to help manage the winemaking process in an honest, non-manipulative manner. My goal is to make elegant, well balanced, food friendly wines that display finesse and character and are true to their varietal and place.”