Stephen Ross Dooley founded Stephen Ross Wine Cellars in 1994 and added Flying Cloud Wines in 2003.  Stephen is the winemaker for his own brands and produces wine for five custom crush clients at the winery in San Luis Obispo.

He is a UC Davis Enology graduate (1977) with winemaking experience at Louis Martini Winery in the Napa Valley (10 years) and Edna Valley Vineyard in the Edna Valley (seven years).  Dooley also served winemaking stints at Backsberg Estate in South Africa and Chittering Estate in Western Australia.  In 1994, it was time to strike out on his own and produce his own label, Stephen Ross, his first and middle names, while also managing the production and winemaking of the Morro Bay Vineyard and Echelon brands for the Chalone Wine Group.  Since then, Stephen Ross planted an estate vineyard (2001), moved into increasingly larger winemaking facilities (last move in 2008) to accommodate growth and custom crush, and opened a tasting room.

Today, together with Paula Dooley, his wife, and small winemaking and hospitality teams, they produce and sell the Stephen Ross and Flying Cloud brands across a dozen states, four export countries and from the tasting room.  Stephen has an unwavering focus on quality, and the work ethic to make in happen throughout the decades.