• Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

The Storm Cellar

  • Our Wines
  • Our Story
  • Find Us
  • Wine Clubs
  • Events
  • The Vineyard
  • Press
  • Journal

Our Story

The journey from Denver sommeliers to Western Colorado farmers and winemakers.

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, Off Duty Cover Feature, 11.16.19

 

Owners and winemakers of The Storm Cellar, Jayme Henderson and Steve Steese, standing in the Riesling vines at their first wine dinner in the vineyard.

The Storm Cellar is a collaborative vision between Steve Steese and Jayme Henderson. During our many years in the restaurant industry, whether for business, study, or pleasure, we spent most of our time away from work in wine country. And we fell in love with it. We traveled the world’s wine regions in search of our next home and adventure for years, only to finally realize that it was just over four hours west of our former home in Denver, on Colorado’s western slope. The Storm Cellar is a project founded upon a love of Colorado, a desire to make great wine in this great state, and a goal of helping to put a relatively unknown, yet up-and-coming region, on the national map.

Our Beginnings

We began our journey in February of 2017 by purchasing a stunning vineyard property that had both huge potential and the need for a lot of rehabilitation. The property boasts a breathtaking, sweeping view that encompasses the fertile valley, farmland, pastures, and orchards of the region, culminating in the snow-crested peaks of Landsend and Mount Lamborn. The elevated site sits atop Sunshine Mesa, between the towns of Paonia and Hotchkiss, in Delta County, Colorado, well above the valley floor, virtually alone atop the mesa.

The wine industry within the area is still relatively young, but the region is already showing incredible potential from what are the highest elevation commercial vineyards anywhere in the northern hemisphere. The region is one of two nationally recognized grape-growing regions (American Viticultural Areas or “AVAs”) in Colorado and is known as the West Elks AVA. Both the state of Colorado and this particular wine region are ripe with promise and perfectly timed for growth. Colorado’s meteoric growth has prompted a need and desire for two things: unique, high-quality, local products and more destination hot spots away from the city.

Our goal is to fill both of those niches.

The two of us left our lives in the Denver culinary scene, where for many years we shared the roles of wine director, sommelier, mixologist, restaurant manager, and beverage director. Between the two of us, we worked at such legendary Denver establishments as Shanahan’s Steakhouse, Barolo Grill, Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro, Coohills, and Cru Wine Bar. In 2017, we set aside our suits and our late-night hours and happily traded them for overalls, heavy boots, and early mornings.

We both live, manage, and share every aspect of life and work here on the vineyard property. We are the vineyard and property managers, the project planners and coordinators, the winemakers, and the marketing and social media directors. We have one faithful employee, Keelan Smith, who volunteered for multiple years before becoming an official and integral part of our team. We have also contracted small crews and asked for volunteers for brief help during pruning, suckering, and harvest. Otherwise, every single aspect of this project is crafted by the two of us.

Back to Our Roots in the Colorado Culinary Scene

The start of 2019 began with an email from Leigh Sullivan, founder of the Colorado FIVE, letting us know that we had been selected as a duo to represent the beverage portion of the 2019 Colorado FIVE team. FIVE is a concept that sprung from a deep admiration for the city of Denver and its ever-evolving and ever-expanding culinary tradition. On behalf of each deserving Colorado honoree, FIVE hopes to assert Colorado’s rightful place in the national culinary spotlight.

In 2020, we were selected again as alumni members of the Colorado FIVE team. The honor is incredible, but the timing has been challenging due to the current pandemic. We are hoping to resume our roles within the next few months with this year’s talented Colorado FIVE team, shown in the photo above. We are so missing the dinners and pairings we get to share with you.

Find more information on these exciting, themed, collaborative dinners and appearances at Colorado wine and food festivals on our events page or via Colorado FIVE.

Meet Jayme

A graduate of Florida Southern College, Jayme Henderson is co-founder, farmer, and winemaker for the winery, The Storm Cellar, based in Hotchkiss. Before she and her husband, Steve Steese, moved from Denver to Colorado’s Western Slope two years ago, she worked for fifteen years in the Denver restaurant scene, from event planner and manager to sommelier and mixologist. She is the sole creator of the acclaimed blog, holly & flora, which won Saveur magazine’s readers’ choice award for “Best Drinks Blog” in 2016. Jayme is also a freelance recipe developer, writer, and photographer, contributing pieces for many publications, including Grand Junction’s Spoke+Blossom magazine and the cooking website, The Kitchn, where she has written nearly 100 articles on wine, cocktails, and gardening. Before taking the plunge into farm life, Jayme studied and interned in wineries, within Oregon, California, and Spain, and on organic farms, most notably at Findhorn in Forres, Scotland.

Meet Steve

Prior to 2017, Steve had been in the hospitality industry all of his adult life. During his seven-year tenure at Shanahan’s Steakhouse, he transformed its wine list into one of the most respected in Denver, winning the “Best Of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator every year that he was involved within the program. He was selected two years in a row as one of fifteen international “Sommelier Stars” to host the Sonoma County Wine Weekend, and he has traveled, interned, and studied in many of the great wine regions of the world. Steve has lived a life based around the pursuit of sensory experience, extensively exploring the visual arts, music, dance, cooking, and gardening. His degrees from the University of Georgia in both sculpture and ceramics led to a teaching position in Tuscany, which was the birthplace of his love for wine and fine cuisine, and the lifestyle that he experienced there still resonates through him today.



Let’s connect

Wine is greater than the sum of its parts, and so is our community. We’d love to hear from you! Please reach out via the contact form below, and we will get back to you as soon as the vineyard allows.

We are tasting through some more blending trials t We are tasting through some more blending trials tonight, before Steve drives over to the Front Range for some wine deliveries. 📦🍷🚛 Our two rosés from the 2020 vintage are dramatically different in color!!
•
We are using Chambourcin (L) and St. Vincent (R) as the base for two of our 2020 rosés. Both of them are dramatic in color and rich with red fruit flavors. We’ll be blending in some small percentages of white wine to add complexity and dial in our desired color.
•
We’ve upped our rosé production by 300% this year, so look out for them in April! We’re hoping to keep you stocked 👏🏼 all 👏🏼 summer 👏🏼 long!
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #coloradowine #cowine #highelevationwine #highelevationvineyards #blendingtrials #winemakerslife #2020vintage #coloradorosé #tanksamples #westelksava #westelkswineries #hotchkisscolorado #westslopebestslope #chambourcinrosé #roséofstvincent
We aren’t wearing mittens, and we don’t have a We aren’t wearing mittens, and we don’t have a manilla envelope of secrets to deliver, but we DO have some excitement to share with you!! ❣️ We received some stellar news about our 2019 Rosé of St. Vincent, and we made a cocktail to celebrate!!
•
We toasted with some of our magenta-hued 2019 Rosé of St. Vincent and made a riff on the classic New York Sour. We used a Colorado whiskey, applejack, and our own rosé to top off this zesty drink.
•
N o r t h  F o r k  S o u r
•
1 1/4 ounces @stranahans sherry cask whiskey
3/4 ounce @lairdsapplejack
1 ounce lemon juice
3/4 ounce cardamom honey syrup
1 ounce red or rich rosé wine (we used our  @stormcellarwine 2019 Rosé of St. Vincent)
•
1. In a mixing tin, combine the whiskey, applejack, lemon juice, and syrup.
2. Add ice and shake well until frothy.
3. Strain into a cocktail glass over a large ice block.
4. Top with a red or rich rosé wine float.
•
We’ll share the details tomorrow — we, make that in a few days 🤪 — but for now, make this cozy, wintry cocktail, and get ready for some rosé giveaways, featuring this (*hint *hint) award-winning pink juice!! 🎉🎉🎉
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #roséallday #rosécocktail #winecocktails #roséofstvincent #coloradorosé #drinkcolorado #coloradowine #cowine #westelksava #westelkswineries #highelevationvineyards #highelevationwine #drinkpink #newyorksour #northforksour #craftcocktails #hollyandflora #imbibegram #supercall #feedfeed @thefeedfeed.cocktails #foodwinewomen
We’re excited to work with a new grape this vint We’re excited to work with a new grape this vintage! 🍇 Do you know which grape variety this is? Its pink-hued, ombré color gives you a clue.
•
We’ve been tasting this wine throughout its fermentation journey, and it is truly standing out. We made a medium-bodied, bone-dry expression, aligning it with the similar Alsatian-style whites in our current lineup.
•
The notes?
•
✔️ soft florals
✔️ ripe stone-fruit
✔️ bright citrus
✔️ subtle jasmine and lychee
•
If you thought of Gewürztraminer, you’re right!!
•
Gewürztraminer, a mutation of the Savagnin grape, shines in the regions of Alsace, France and Alto Adige, Italy. It has characteristically spiced or perfumed tones and can be made dry or sweet. Its pinkish-colored skins can sometimes impart a copper color, and its classic aromas include lychee and roses.
•
We are smitten with this grape. 🥰 In fact, the first wine we fell in love with here in the #westelksava was @stonecottagecellars’ 2015 Dry Gewürztraminer. They’ve won multiple awards for their old-vine expressions of this noble grape.
•
We can’t wait to share ours with you this spring!! Schedule a tasting appointment with us, and we’ll share some tank samples and chat more about this wild 2020 vintage.
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #westelksava #westelkswineries #highelevationvineyards #highelevationwine #gewürztraminer #drygewürztraminer #gewürz #coloradowine #coloRADical #drinkcolorado #raisealocalglass #cowine
Tonight’s sunset was SO worth the chilly, windy Tonight’s sunset was SO worth the chilly, windy walk. ❄️
•
The painterly pops of pink and icy blues on the mountains are so dramatic in the wintry light, especially on these cloudy days, when there’s a thrill of snow in the air. We are in for the night and cooking up a Mediterranean-themed dinner and popping some Colorado bubbly.
•
And we are *finally* decorating our Christmas tree. After a bustle-filled week of packing up wine orders, we are excited to settle into a slowerish-paced week.
•
Happiest of holidays to our wine family!!
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #highelevationwine #highaltitudewines #decemberincolorado #westslopebestslope #visitcolorado #westelksava #northforkvalley #coloRADical
V I N E Y A R D U P D A T E ❄️ The new vines V I N E Y A R D  U P D A T E ❄️ The new vines that we planted this past spring are nestled underneath four inches of snow, all hilled up to stay as warm as possible over the next wintry months.
•
We are also gearing up (gaining the courage?) to remove some old, dilapidated fencing around the vineyard’s perimeter in preparation of replacing the fenceline, something we’ve been wanting/needing to do, since we moved here in 2017.
•
We’re also excited to tear out the old vines that are affected by phylloxera, so that we can dig holes for new vines that we’ll plant this spring.
•
We’re also thrilled (so many feelings tonight 🤪) that our holiday shipments went out the day before yesterday, giving us a little peace, so that we can relax over the Christmas holidays, starting with decorating the tree tomorrow.
•
Wishing you a cozy holiday season, a renewing winter solstice, and a peaceful start to the new year!!
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #coloradowine #cowine #westelksava #westelkswineries #highelevationvineyards #highelevationwine #highaltitudewines #futuresparklingwine #classof2024🥂 #coloradosparklingwine #sommelierwinemaker #westslopebestslope #christmasincolorado #redstonevineyard
What is our favorite thing to do over the winter s What is our favorite thing to do over the winter season? 💥  BLENDING. We’ve been tasting through our just-finished wines and we’re planning out what our 2020 lineup will be.
•
What’s going on in our tasting glass?
•
This is the base for our 2020 Rosé of Chambourcin. The grape might be new to you, so we’ll share a little more about this rosé-bound variety and how it’s tasting!
•
📍 The grape is a French-American hybrid.
📍 It does well in Colorado’s cooler, more compact growing season.
📍 Chambourcin is the third most-planted grape in the Loire Valley in France.
📍 It’s only been available since 1963.
📍 It’s classified as a “teinturier”, which means it’s one of the few grapes that has pink-hued juice (most grape juice is clear, even in red grapes).
📍 Ours is bright and racy, exhibits a ripe, red fruit flavor profile, with notes of tart cherry and plum.
•
Have you tried Chambourcin before? If so, do you have a favorite producer?
•
Next time you stop by our tasting room, we’ll pour you a tank sample — give us a call or send us an email, and we’ll schedule an appointment!! 💫 This wine will be part of our spring club shipment, so sign up now!
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #westelksava #westelkswineries #highelevationwine #highelevationvineyards #highaltitudewines #roséallday #coloradorosé #sommlife #sommelierwinemaker #coloradowine #cowine #winemakingprocess #blendingtrials
Snow-day vibes. ❄️ We got out for a brisk walk Snow-day vibes. ❄️ We got out for a brisk walk this morning, and now it’s time to bake, make 2021 plans, submit grant applications, and decorate the tree.
•
And pack up wine orders!! 💥 Thank you so much for sending wine to loved ones this holiday season!! We pack up all of our shipments here on site (with chilly hands!! 🥶👋🏼❄️), and we are thrilled and grateful for your support.
•
We are sending you all the biggest thanks for all the #winelove this season. Stay warm, stay safe, and stay well!!
•
It’s not too late to give the gift of Colorado wine. Visit the link in our profile for details on our Colorado Culinary Seasonal Sampler, or catch our previous post!!
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #snowday #coloradowine #cowine #coloradowinecountry #highelevationvineyards #highelevationwine #highaltitudewine #winterincolorado #westslopebestslope #alpinedesertwine #bluebirdday
We’ve got a special holiday food and wine pack f We’ve got a special holiday food and wine pack for you!! 💥💥💥 We teamed up with three small Colorado companies to create a “Colorado Culinary Gift Pack” that’s filled with local wine and foodie treats!
•
What’s in the pack?
•
🥂 2019 Viognier
🥂 2019 RRV White Blend
🥂 2018 Chardonnay
🥂 NV Fire + Ice Riesling
•
🌶 @misohotofficial chili paste
🌿 @thespiceguyco spice blends
🍅 @foragesisters smoked tomato jam
•
It’s priced at $130 and gets $15 flat-rate shipping to 41 states. We are shipping them out from our winery in Hotchkiss, and they are packed with LOVE!
•
Get the details via the link in our profile and #SHOPSMALL this season!
•
We’ll be sharing recipes, pairings, and tasting notes here on Instagram, so you’ll have plenty of inspiration to add a punch of flavor to your home cooking.
•
CHEERS!!
•
•
•
•
#stormcellarwine #coloradowine #westelksava #whitewinechristmas #whitewinelover #holidaygiftideas #christmaswine #winetime #5280drinks #303drinks #highelevationwine #highelevationvineyards #rieslinglover #diningoutmagazine #coloRADical #shopsmallbusiness #coloradosmallbusiness
#STORMCELLARWINE

            

The Storm Cellar  |  14139 Runzel Gulch Road, Hotchkiss, CO 81419  |  970.589.3142

Copyright © 2021 · The Storm Cellar | Website design by Peppercorn Creative