winery and vineyard
About
The Storm Cellar is a boutique winery, located in Hotchkiss, Colorado, specializing in white and rosé wines. We are a husband-and-wife team with a goal of showcasing the attributes of our alpine-desert terroir, to help bring our region into the national wine spotlight, and to become a premier destination for an elevated, Colorado wine experience.
OUR MISSION
OUR GOAL is straightforward:
We are DRIVEN to deliciously
CONNECT the LAND to the GLASS
Since 2017, when we moved to the North Fork Valley on Colorado's Western Slope, we've hit the ground running, with an unstoppable desire to create the best wine expressions from the grapes we both grow and source.
We've survived the discovery of phylloxera in our vineyard, a crippling frost event that decimated every one of our vines, and a global pandemic.
We take every perceived setback and view it as opportunity for growth and renewal, and we are proud to release our seventh vintage of wine this spring.
OUR GOAL is straightforward:
We are DRIVEN to deliciously
CONNECT the LAND to the GLASS
We're Jayme and Steve.
We're first-time farmers and winemakers, who left our sommelier jobs in the city, moved to the country, purchased a neglected vineyard, and built our brand from the ground up.
Hi, I'm Jayme, and I grew up in Florida!
Hey, I'm Steve, and I'm from Georgia!
we hope you taste the love in your glass!
We listen to a lot of drum-and-bass, exist on espresso, and routinely binge-watch the X-Files, Lord of the Rings, and Agents of Shield. We live right here at the source and while we live where we work, we make time to tend our garden, fix delicious meals at home, and play with our growing animal-family, which currently includes two border collies, three cats, and eight chickens. We welcome you to be part of our world, whether it's here at our tasting room or at home relaxing on your front porch.
hello!!
WINEMAKING
we allow our wines to ferment slowly, at lower temperatures, to preserve aromatics, and WE carefully manage oxygen to ensure freshness and minimize sulfur additions.
we aim for finished wines with delicate texture, pronounced aromas, and vibrant acidity. our wines are dry, crisp, and refreshing, with minimal use of oak, and, above all, food friendly.
we work in small batches, hand-sort our grapes, and press small lots into temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks, often giving our grapes extended cold soaks for optimal aromatic extraction.
we make between ten and 15 different wines each year, sourced from grapes we grow and from premier high-desert vineyards along the western slope of colorado.
✓
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"The famed frontier spirit of the men and women who helped settle the country we now call the United States required courage and conviction and the willingness to leave the familiar behind for worlds unknown – possible riches or possible ruin.
"It’s the same spirit that drives so many American winemakers today, men and women who often risk all in the hope of producing a world-class wine. Jayme Henderson and Steve Steese are two such 21st-century pioneers."
- lettie teague, the wall street journal, cover story, november 2019
There are hundreds of great wineries. Here's what makes us different:
01
we're sommeliers first
Years spent tasting and evaluating wines for restaurant lists have provided an excellent baseline for a worldly palate, strengthening our winemaking skillset.
02
we're focused on our wine style
We are committed to crafting quality white and rosé wines by capturing and preserving delicate aromatics, textural nuances, and, of course, lively acidity.
03
WE'RE A HANDS-ON TEAM OF two
The two of us are behind every aspect of our project, from writing the newsletter and posting on Instagram, to pruning the vines and making our wines.
farming regeneratively
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
building soil health
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
stewarding the land
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
directing the vines
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
reducing tractor passes
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
our VINEYARD PHILOSOPHY
our VINEYARD
PHILOSOPHY
We knew we had our work cut out for us, when we started working in the vineyard that very first year. A few of the vineyard plots hadn't been trained in several seasons, the irrigation system needed an overhaul, the perimeter fence was compromised, and the vines needed better-directed pruning to obtain the quality of grapes we desired. And converting farming practices from conventional to organic has proved challenging, especially because of our harsh growing conditions, but we are determined to leave this land stronger, more sustainable, and healthier because of our actions.
As we look to the future, we are building a pond to moderate cold temperatures, implementing rotational grazing for weed mediation and soil health, adding plants that attract beneficial insects and pollinators, and seeking innovative means for more efficient water delivery.
farming
regeneratively
building soil health
stewarding the land together, responsibly
directing the vines
reducing compaction
follow our journey
Worked as sommeliers in Denver and spent our free time in our backyard garden or taking trips to work in wine country.
2015
Visited the North Fork Valley in May for the first time, found the property that would eventually become The Storm Cellar, fell in love with it, and made an offer that December.
2016
Acquired our winemaking equipment and went from first-time farmers to first-time winemakers, making 1,000 cases of wine from our estate-grown grapes.
2018
Went all-in and closed on the vineyard, began pruning the vines in March, learned the ropes of being first-time farmers, discovered phylloxera in the soil, sold our estate-grown grapes to Colorado winemakers that fall, and made our first small-batch wines for family and friends.
2017
Eloped and got married in a snowstorm in the vineyard, made the cover of the Wall Street Journal, appeared in a national John Deere commercial, poured our wines at the James Beard House in Manhattan, and were 5280 Magazine's "Best Winery."
2019
adios,
denver!
best year ever!
Made it through opening our tasting room in a global pandemic, just to be hit by the worst freeze here in 50 years.
2020
Retrained the vines from the ground up, made wines out of necessity with out-of-state fruit – since there were no Colorado grapes – launched the "Sip into Spring" wine festival, and enjoyed the positive effects of the post-pandemic travel boom.
2021
Got our hands dirty and planted 5,000 new grafted vines, kicked off the Friday Steak Night series, and really got into our summer tasting room rhythm with dance parties, chefs, and culinary events.
2022
Awarded "Colorado Winery of the Year," bottled our first traditional method sparkling wines, enjoyed the best-executed harvest season so far, and had two wines selected for the Colorado Governor's Cup Collection.
2023
We received our highest point score ever (95) on our 2020 Estate Dry Riesling, and we had two wines chosen for the Colorado Governor's Cup Collection. We did a serious beautification of our outdoor tasting room – raised beds, more shade, and a native perennial garden.
We're only a few months into the year, and we've already had a bucket-list moment: our 2022 Dry Riesling is poured by the glass at the renowned Element 47 at the Little Nell! We are also gearing up to plant two acres of Albariño and one acre of Itasca later this spring.
2024
2025
if you
pour it,
they will
come!
hooray!!
onward &
upward!
let's go!
Have YOU explored
Jayme's ADVENTURES
with garden-to-glass COCKTAILS?
For over a decade, Jayme has shared her unique, garden-inspired drinks at her blog, Jayme Grows Drinks.
So much of what we do at The Storm Cellar has emerged from what Jayme does on her site.
If you really want the full experience, then grab your shaker, fill your glass, and follow along.
let's make drinks
Have YOU explored
Jayme's ADVENTURES
with garden-to-glass COCKTAILS?
For over a decade, Jayme has shared her unique, garden-inspired drinks at her blog, Jayme Grows Drinks.
So much of what we do at The Storm Cellar has emerged from what Jayme does on her site.
If you really want the full experience, then grab your shaker, fill your glass, and follow along.
let's make drinks
