Harvest 2013 is here! We have brought in the Hyde Sauvignon Blanc grapes and have plans to pick the Merlot at Frediani Vineyards on Saturday! It’s looking to be a great vintage so far (fingers crossed).
We are releasing our new reds. There isn’t much of the Merlot or Cabernet, so don’t delay in putting in your orders.
Vintage 2011 gave us a good amount of rainfall in late winter, along with a tad over 2 inches in both May and June, so the soil profile got a nice shot of water for the early part of the season. The summer, and right on into ripening, was on the cool side of average.
2011 Selene Merlot Frediani Vineyard (100% Merlot, 120 cases $35.00/bottle)
Ripe flavors developed at lower sugars in the grapes and alcohols stayed below 14% in this wine. Mia’s tasting notes: Red raspberry, cocoa powder, pink peppercorn, cardamom, mineral character, preserved ginger, and bay laurel for aromas. Savory and mouth-watering in the mouth with a clean, long finish. Less caramelized and jammy in the flavors, more savory, exotic, and clean.
2011 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Fred Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 90 cases $50.00/bottle) Mia’s tasting notes: Raspberry and raspberry leaf, high cacao dark chocolate, glace de veau, fresh tobacco, garam masala, earthy, and blackberry pie are all part of the complex aromas. The tannins are fine and chewy in texture and flavors are savory, long and intense in character.
2007 Selene Chesler Red Wine (52% Cabernet Franc; 48% Merlot, 291 cases $40.00/bottle)
92 points – Robert Parker Mia’s tasting notes: The 2007 is upfront, not pulling any punches; a quality not unlike the 2004. Showing vanilla, graphite, and cedar characters, with blueberry syrup, brown sugar, dark chocolate, cherry pie, and espresso. Favors in the mouth mirror aromas, tannins are particularly balanced and sweet from impact to finish.
In other news, for those of you that happen to have the 2003 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon, we are happy to report that it received 93 points in the Wine Spectator 2003 Retrospective Tasting this July. It was one of the Top Five wines for the tasting! Here is the review:
SELENE Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2003 Score: 93 | Release price: $70 | Current price: $70
Delicious and at a great drinking plateau, this is ripe and juicy, offering tiers of dark berry, spice, loamy earth and cedar. Impressive for its supple texture and long, lingering finish. 2003 California Cabernet blind retrospective (July 2013). Drink now through 2024. 465 cases made.—J.L.
And finally, in case you missed them, we still have our special verticals:
4 Bottle Vertical of Chesler – 1 bottle of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $150.00 (shipping included)
6 Bottle Vertical of Chesler – 1 bottle of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $225.00 (shipping included)
Remember the 10% discount on 1 mixed case, and 20% discount on 2 mixed cases, including the Vertical Specials. Plus, 2-day Air shipping is included on all orders over $100. We will hold your order for you, (not charge your credit card) until we ship.
We can accept your orders on the BUY page of the website: www.selenewines.com , or print out the Order Form from the BUY page and fax or mail it to us, or give us a call (707) 258-8119.
Selene Wines will be a participating winery this year for the Kapalua Wine & Food Festival in June in Maui, Hawaii at the Ritz-Carlton Kapalua.
We will be pouring 2010 Selene Sauvignon Blanc from Magnum at the Welcome Reception on Thursday.
Then on Friday June 7th, Mia will be one of the panelist for a seminar on Napa Cabernet Sauvignon, with Philippe Melka and Andy Erickson, where she’ll be showing the 2003 Selene Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2009 Selene Dead Fred Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon.
Join Mia and Tracy at Merriman’s Kapalua on Saturday June 8th for a winemaker dinner featuring Selene Wines. Chef is preparing an amazing menu to pair with our 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, 2002 and 2006 Chesler, 2004 and 2008 Dead Fred Cabernet, and 1994 and 2010 Merlot.
We will also be pouring at the Grand Tasting and the Seafood Festival. We hope to see everyone there!
You have two chances to join Tracy and Mia for a Selene Wines tasting in March!
On Thursday March 7th, 2013 – 5:30pm to 7:00pm. Join Mia and Tracy at Fatted Calf in Napa, California for their Butcher’s Happy Hour featuring Selene Wines!
Everyone likes happy hour, and in wine country it’s even better. The Napa Fatted Calf shop is featuring hand-crafted wines from Selene Wines a tiny producer focusing on the Bordeaux varietals which are known to thrive the Napa valley. The winemaker works with a minimalist approach that produces wonderful fruit forward vibrant wines.
To balance the artisanal dedication of Selene winery we are featuring a truly special hog from Good Farms in Olsburg, Kansas. The Gloucestershire Old Spot is a heritage breed hog with its origins in England. This is a rare breed, and worth experiencing.
Come by the Fatted Calf this Thursday from 5:30-7 for some complimentary snacks and wine. You can even choose your cut off the hog!
On Friday March 22nd, 2013 – 6:30pm to 8:00pm. Join Mia and Tracy at Enoteca Della Santina in Sonoma, California for their Friday Tasting Series featuring Selene Wines. We’ll have the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc and 2006 Chesler, as well as the 2006 Dead Fred Cabernet for you to try!
Join us for another delightful Women and Wine dinner series with Stacey Bressler of Bressler Vineyards and winemaker Mia Klein.
Mia Klein is one of the most widely respected winemakers in California. Having worked in restaurant kitchens before embarking on her winemaking career, Mia has an inate ability to craft wines of finesse and balance from top-quality fruit.
After receiving her degree in Enology from U.C. Davis, Mia worked her way up from the cellar, starting on the nightshift at Chappellet under the tutelage of Cathy Corison, before moving on to Robert Pepi winery. She then left the world of regular employment to consult for many esteemed wineries including Spottswoode, Araujo, Viader and Dalla Valle Vineyards.
Currently Mia makes wine for her own small label, Selene, and three small, super-premium producers, including Bressler Vineyards.
An inviting 4-course dinner created by Chef Mark Arnao will be served with a wine pairing by Wine Director Marika Vida-Arnold featuring the wines of both Bressler Vineyards and Selene Wines. As this is an exclusive event, seating is limited. To make a reservation, please contact Cathleen.brown@ritzcarlton.com by March 10th.
A percentage of our proceeds will go to the Women’s Shelter at Crossroads Community Services in NYC.
Just a quick note to let you know we are releasing our 2009 Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon.
Mia at Dead Fred Vineyard
This wine has a few great reviews, and there wasn’t much made, so it will go fast. If you don’t want to miss out, get your order in!
2009 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Fred Vineyard (100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 190 cases $50.00/bottle)
2009 brought Napa rain both late in the spring and early in the fall; not exactly what winemakers wish for. However, the spring rains did keep us from experiencing our third year of drought and did not affect bloom negatively at Dead Fred. The vines enjoyed a very nice summer and early fall, which made for a nice maturation for the fruit. This allowed ample ripeness and harvesting before mid-October rain. The resulting wine was aged in 90% new French oak and bottled in April 2011.
Mia’s tasting notes: Imagine coffee beans roasting deeply over an oak wood fire, just slightly smoky, with dark chocolate, and raspberry syrup. Those flavors, along with a rich dark caramel, are also present in the mouth with very good intensity. The tannins are bold but with a quite fine texture, and linger long on the palate with the flavors.
Antonio Galloni of The Wine Advocate review:
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Fred Vineyards is flat-out beautiful. Layers of expressive dark fruit, smoke, tar, incense and graphite caress the palate in this highly articulate, refined wine. With time in the glass, the wine shows gorgeous inner perfume and sweetness. Today (Dec. 2011) the oak is a bit pronounced, but the wine appears to have the depth to provide balance over time.
93 Points. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2021.
The Wine Spectator had this to say:
This firm red exhibits a chunky mix of earth- and mineral-laced dried berry, sage and cedar flavors. Maintains its muscular, chewy profile, yet finishes with a nice burst of ripe berry fruit and cedary oak. Best from 2013 through 2025. 91 Points. 190 cases made. (Oct 31, 2012) JL
And finally, in case you missed them, we still have our specials:
3 bottle Vertical of Dead Fred Cabernet. Here’s what you get for $120.00 (shipping included!) – 1 bottle each of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Selene Dead Fred Cabernet.
4 Bottle Vertical of Chesler – 1 bottle of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $150.00 (shipping included)
6 Bottle Vertical of Chesler – 1 bottle of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $225.00 (shipping included)
Remember the 10% discount on 1 mixed case, and 20% discount on 2 mixed cases, including the Vertical Specials. Plus, 2-day Air shipping is included on all orders over $100. We will hold your order for you, (not charge your credit card) until we ship.
We can accept your orders on the BUY page of the website: www.selenewines.com , or print out the Order Form from the BUY page and fax or mail it to us, or give us a call (707) 258-8119.
This is a special release for us. It was the 1992 vintage that Mia first harvested Sauvignon Blanc from Hyde Vineyards for her debut Sauvignon Blanc. Now 20 vintages later, we celebrate with the release of the 2011 Sauvignon Blanc, which The San Francisco Chronicle recommended as one of their Napa Sauvignon Blancs this year!
2011 Selene Sauvignon Blanc Hyde Vineyards (100% Sauvignon Blanc, 792 cases $28.00/bottle)
Wow, this is the 20th vintage of Selene Sauvignon Blanc from Hyde Vineyards! Needless to say time goes by fast and it seems like just yesterday, but that’s another story. We had a good amount of rainfall in the late winter along with a tad over 2 inches in both May and June. Add an unusually comfortable summer for humans; a little cooler than the grapevines like. It all adds up to the second year in a row that we pick in October. In general the more extended the season is for Sauvignon Blanc, the better, given no sugar spikes from hot weather and no rain during harvest, which was certainly the case with this 2011.
Mia’s tasting notes: Intense and distinctive, aromatics include pineapple, green mango, guava, white nectarine, honeydew melon, lemon curd, orange liquor, white pepper, sandalwood, rose water, and beeswax. Savory and mouthwatering, with a concentrated, long finish.
2010 Selene Merlot Frediani Vineyard (100% Merlot, 300 cases $35.00/bottle)
2010 was a cool, late starting vintage. Picture this: winemakers with nothing to do in September (besides those who make sparkling wine of course). As we are a nervous bunch, we winemakers know it’s not a simple waiting game either. The days keep getting shorter and the probability of rain gets bigger as the vintage goes on. A good measure of patience plus a large pinch of proactivity was in order. That, along with good luck, produced a particularly complex wine. Aged for 18 months in 40% new French barrels.
Mia’s tasting notes: Toasted vanilla pods, molasses and caramel, floral jasmine, red raspberry, black pepper, anise, tar, cocoa butter, chocolate, roasted coffee beans, plum and blueberry. Aromatics are nicely mirrored in the mouth with very good concentration and length; texture is smooth yet weighty with a structured tannin profile.
In other news, for those of you that happen to have the 2002 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon (the first vintage of Cabernet from Selene), we are happy to report that it received 92 points in the Wine Spectator 2002 Retrospective Tasting this May. If you are looking to buy an older vintage of Cabernet that drinks well now, but still has time, we recommend trying the 2005 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon we have available on the website under Library Wines.
And finally, in case you missed them, we still have our specials:
3 bottle Vertical of Dead Fred Cabernet.
Here’s what you get for $120.00 (shipping included!) – 1 bottle each of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Selene Dead Fred Cabernet.
4 Bottle Vertical of Chesler1 bottle of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $150.00 (shipping included)
6 Bottle Vertical of Chesler –
1 bottle of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $225.00 (shipping included)
Remember the 10% discount on 1 mixed case, and 20% discount on 2 mixed cases, including the Vertical Specials. Plus, 2-day Air shipping is included on all orders over $100. We will hold your order for you, (not charge your credit card) until we ship.
We can accept your orders on the BUY page of the website: www.selenewines.com , or print out the Order Form from the BUY page and fax or mail it to us, or give us a call (707) 258-8119.
It was back in October of 2010 that we decided to give a Paleo diet a try, after reading Robb Wolf’s Paleo Solution. It’s been over a year now and we have never felt better!
Paleo, short for Paleolithic, or sometimes called a caveman diet is basically a hunter-gatherer diet. Lean meat (grass fed), veggies, fruit, nuts, roots.
We gave up rice, beans, corn, all flours and gluten, and potatoes.
All this really meant in the long run, is we needed more fruit, veggies, and good grass fed meat (none of that stringy, chewy stuff)
At our local Friday Farmer’s Market in Sonoma, we met Adam Parks. Adam and his wife Laura own Victorian Farmstead, in Sebastopol. We think this the best beef, pork, lamb and chicken we’ve ever had.
We just renewed our year subscription of their CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) meat box. Adam is super flexible, and there are 5 or 10 pound boxes of meat every other week that include roasts, steaks and ground meats.
We signed up for 10 pounds every other week, plus a chicken. I know it sounds like a lot, but we end up buying even more from Adam every Friday.
You can also find Adam at the Moraga Farmer’s Market.
It’s cool to know we are supporting a local, sustainable, family owned operation.
I’m looking forward to posting some dishes we have made using Victorian Farmstead’s meats, so stay tuned! – Skippy
Everyone has been asking about the new Red releases, so here they are! We are releasing the 2009 Selene Merlot, the 2006 Selene Chesler, and the 2008 Selene Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon. We also have two special Verticals of Chesler.
2009 Selene Merlot Frediani Vineyard (100% Merlot, 118 cases $35.00/bottle)
2009 late spring rains brought good news and bad news. Good news, the third year of drought won’t be as bad as it could have been. Bad news, fruit set in Merlot was very low, less than 1.5 tons/acre, with sad looking little clusters that were mostly stems with just a few berries here and there, which Mia talks about in this Merlot video.
Mia decided to double sort at the crusher, which kept only the healthy berries and excluded the rest, including any stem “jacks’. (Check out our video showing the whole process!)
Mia chose an open-top fermentor and punch down cap management to beef up the extraction just a tad, then aged it for 18 months in 40% new French oak barrels.
Mia’s tasting notes:
Raspberry/blackberry, buttery strawberry shortcake, dark chocolate and coffee, sweet nutmeg and cinnamon spice, cedar, orange liquor, slight mincemeat. In the mouth the wine has very good impact and length of flavors. Tannins are impressive in depth and quality; this one could easily age for more than a decade.
There isn’t much of this 2009 Merlot, so it’s going to sell out quickly!
2006 Selene ‘Chesler’ Red Wine (62% Cabernet Franc, 38% Merlot) (487 cases $40.00/bottle)
As a vintage, 2006 was nicely measured with normal-plus rain in the winter and even summer and fall temperatures for ripening. Fermentation and maceration totaled 20 days for the Cabernet Franc and 18 days for the Merlot. This wine was aged for 22 months in 70% new French oak barrels.
Mia’s tasting notes:
Aromas lean towards raspberry, violet, sandalwood, brown sugar, with a hint of forest floor. The initial impact and intensity of flavors in the mouth is excellent and the finish builds to an impressive concentration of extract.
2008 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon Dead Fred Vineyard(100% Cabernet Sauvignon, 148 cases $50.00/bottle)
In 2008 we had our second year of drought and the worst spring frosts since the ‘70’s. Dead Fred Vineyard suffered about 20% frost damage. Grapes were harvested the third week in October. Fermentation and maceration times totaled 20 days. This wine was aged in 90% new French oak until bottling in June of 2010.
Mia’s tasting notes: Both raspberry and blueberry lead off the aromatics, with sandalwood and sweet spice, espresso, roasted almonds covered with dark chocolate, and finishing with fragrant crushed red rose petals. The mouth has very good initial impact, intensity, texture, and length, with excellent development and integration of flavors.
Many of you have asked for older vintages of Chesler, so we have a couple of Verticals for this offer. Both include the 2007 Chesler which has not been released yet! All of these vintages are ready to drink now, but all have a long life ahead of them.
4 Bottle Vertical of Chesler – 1 bottle of 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $150.00 (shipping included)
6 Bottle Vertical of Chesler – 1 bottle of 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007 Chesler for $225.00 (shipping included)
And finally, in case you missed it, we have our special 3 bottle Vertical of Dead Fred Cabernet. Here’s what you get for $120.00 (shipping included!) – 1 bottle each of the 2006, 2007 and 2008 Selene Dead Fred Cabernet.
Remember the 10% discount on 1 mixed case, and 20% discount on 2 mixed cases, including the Vertical Specials. Plus, 2-day Air shipping is included on all orders over $100. We will hold your order for you, (not charge your credit card) until we ship.
We can accept your orders on the BUY page of the website: www.selenewines.com , or print out the Order Form from the BUY page and fax or mail it to us, or give us a call (707) 258-8119.
We finally have good shipping weather! I’ve been shipping to most states the past two weeks, so if you have an order in, you’ll receive your wine soon!
Thanks to all our fans who ordered wine. We really appreciate the support!
Did you see the 3-pack Vertical Special we have of our Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon?
You could have it in time for Halloween! ($120.00 shipping included) You get 1 bottle of each:
2006 Selene Dead Fred Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (92 WS, 90 WA, 90 WE)
2007 Selene Dead Fred Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (91 WS, 91 WA, 93 WE)
2008 Selene Dead Fred Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (89 WS, 90+ WA, 90 WE)
Mia Klein is the owner and winemaker of Selene Wines, which began with the 1991 vintage. Mia earned her Enology degree from UC Davis in 1984 and began her career in Napa Valley in 1983. Tracy Hall, aka Skippy, came on in 2004 and does 'everything else' at Selene.
