Mia Klein | |
|---|---|
| Born | California, United States |
| Alma mater | University of California Davis, 1983 |
| Occupations | Winemaker, entrepreneur, wine consultant |
| Awards | Food & Wine Winemaker of the Year, 2003 |
Mia Klein is a Californian winemaker and entrepreneur, founder of Selene Wines in Napa, California. [1] Her career has spanned decades in the food and wine industry in both Northern and Southern California.
Before studying enology at the University of California, Davis, Klein was a professional chef in San Francisco. Mentored by well-known Napa Valley winemakers, Cathy Corison and Tony Soter, [2] Klein has made wine for several critically acclaimed wineries including Palmaz Vineyards, Chappellet Winery, Araujo Estate Wines, Cimarossa, Spottswoode, Viader, Dalla Valle Vineyard and Robert Pepi Winery. [3]
She is currently producing wine under her own-labeled, Selene, as well as producing wine for Bressler Winery and Boyanci. [4]
Mia Klein grew up in Hermosa Beach, California. [5] When she was a senior in high school her family relocated to San Francisco. She worked at a wine shop in San Francisco. [6] Klein was a chef working in a seafood restaurant. [7] While at work, she would taste wine, which invoked her interest in wine. [2] She started studying enology at the University of California, Davis, where she worked as a lab assistant for Professor Ann Noble. [8] [9] Klein graduated in 1983. [6]
After graduating from Davis, she worked at Chappellet Winery under winemaker Cathy Corison. [9] In the early 1980s she became assistant winemaker. [6] After Chappellet, she worked at Robert Pepi Winery. She met Tony Soter, while working at Robert Pepi. Soter and Klein would go start a consulting business, providing services to numerous Napa Valley wineries. Klein also worked at Dalla Valle Vineyard. She replaced winemaker Heidi Peterson Barrett at Dalla Valle. [9] Klein was the first winemaker for Bressler Winery in 1999. She is the winemaker for Boyanci and Cimarossa Vineyards (since 2009 [10] ), and has provided consulting services to Palmaz Vineyards, Spottswoode, Viader and cult wine label Araujo. [6] [7] [11] Soter left the consulting business in 1999 and Klein continues to consult. [12]
Klein started her own wine label, Selene Wines, in 1991. The label makes Merlot, Sauvignon blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and a red wine blend. [9] The Merlots are macerated in tanks with skins being kept on for 21-days. The wine is aged in 70% new French Oak barrels. The Napa Valley Merlot's grapes are sourced from grapes in St. Helena and near Calistoga. [7] The Sauvignon blanc, Selene Sauvignon blanc, uses Musqué grapes from the Hyde Vineyard in the Carneros AVA. [7] [9] The first vintage was in 1992. [13] The wine is not processed via malolactic fermentation. It's fermented, in 40% to 50% new French oak barrels, and half in stainless steel barrels. [7] The blend is called Chesler. The wines are made at the Laird Family Estate winery. [9] A large portion of the Merlot and Sauvignon blanc wines are distributed to restaurants. [7]
