Join Mia Klein, winemaker of Selene Wines, for the first winemaker dinner of the New Year!

Mia will be at John Ascuaga’s Nugget in Sparks Nevada at Restaurant Orozko, where Selene Wines will be paired for a memorable dinner!

This will be awesome! Check out the Menu Created and Prepared by Executive Chef Michael Norton and His Award Winning Culinary Team

Reception
2008 Selene Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon

First Course
Salmon Wrapped Diver Scallop with Grilled Figs, Asparagus Tips, and Watercress Grand Marnier Crème Fraiche
2008 Selene Hyde Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc

Second Course
Seared Muscovy Duck Pizza
Grilled Flatbread, Arugula, Vine Ripe Tomato, Garlic Aioli and Cambozola Cheese
2006 Selene Frediani Vineyard Merlot
1996 Selene Napa Valley Merlot

Third Course
Garlic Roasted Pork Tenderloin on Shaved Fennel and Kalamata Olives with Pork Jus
2004 ‘Chesler’ Napa Valley Red Wine

Intermezzo
Black Currant Sorbet

Main Course
Grilled Peppercorn Lamb Chop, Eggplant-Wild Rice Flan with Rosemary Lamb Jus Lie
2005 Selene Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

Dessert
Pistachio Raspberry Chiffon
Freshly Brewed Coffee

Details and reservations here: Winemaker Dinner.

I am still amazed at the work that goes into a bottle of wine. Just think of it, in order for a Selene wine lover to open and enjoy a bottle of our wine, a lot of dedicated people have to do their jobs first.

Growers/Vineyards: They say it starts in the vineyard, no exception here, Mia considers herself fortunate to have longtime relationships with great farming families (Frediani, Hyde), vineyard owners (Lisa Cort, David Goldman), vineyard managers (Mike Wolf) and their crews.

Winery: While we don’t own a winery, the crew at Laird is like our family. They work hard to get Selene from grape to bottle, cased and on a pallet.

Winemaker: A winemaker is a good thing to have. Mia has been working with wine in Napa Valley since 1983. What she still loves most is making wine.

Web Master: Without him(John Gavin), our website would be outdated and ugly. Not only wouldn’t we get a mailing offer out, you wouldn’t see his awesome bottle shots, or the great label he made for our one time Rosé.

Suppliers: We need barrels, bottles, labels, corks, capsules, yeast. They all made it happen, and made it (and us) look good in the process.

Truckers: Once it’s in the bottle, and packed in cases, someone has to get it to the warehouse. These are the same great folks that also get it from warehouse to warehouse, state to state.

Warehousing/Shipping: These people watch over our cased goods just like at Fort Knox. Okay, not really, but they take darn good care of our wine. Plus, if you ordered that bottle directly from us, Noreen packs it up and sets it up with FedEx or UPS.

Shippers: FedEx, UPS and our local delivery folks (James and Fran) at Wine Country Transit. Without your favorite driver, how would you get your wine?

Distributors: We have a bunch of dedicated sales people that believe in Selene, and go out and make cold calls (to restaurants and wine shops), telling our story and pouring our wine because they believe it’s good juice.

Sommelier’s/Wine Buyers: The person working the restaurant floor, the one that knows what’s going to pair best with your meal tonight. This group of dedicated wine-loving individuals hand sell each bottle, every night.

Wine Shops/Restaurants: Whether it’s your local haunt, or while out of town, you need a good bottle and they have it. (There are some restaurants and wine shops that have supported Mia since the beginning.)

So a huge Thank You, to everyone who made it possible for us at Selene Wines in 2009!

Thank YOU for supporting Mia and I in doing what we love to do, and obviously it’s what you love also, sharing good wine with friends.

Oh, and talking about sharing, enjoy “Selene” tonight (The Blue Moon – second full moon) she will take us from the old year to the new year.

We are wishing everyone a Healthy and Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Skippy

Hello from Selene!

Wow, has this year flown by! Just as quickly we sold out of the 2006 Merlot, which means it’s time to release our 2007 Selene Merlot Frediani Vineyard!

As a vintage, 2007 was our first drought year in a while but the season was otherwise nicely measured, with good weather for bloom, veraison, and ripening. (270 cases produced $35.00/bottle)

Selene has two blocks of Merlot at Frediani Family Vineyard. For this vintage, we used the dry-farmed Merlot from the J-Block plus a little Cabernet Franc. (The 181 Merlot block went to the Chesler blend.) With the character of the wine from the old, dry-farmed Merlot vines, as well as the Franc, we extended the barrel aging of this wine from our normal 15 months to a slightly extended 21 months.

Here’s my tasting note: Blackberry cobbler, with the berries, brown sugar, and vanilla all standing out, along with molasses, blackberry leaf, sandalwood incense, and fine Serrano ham. Loads of impact and concentration in the mouth with big, yet fine, texture and a lengthy finish.

A note from Tracy: Mia doesn’t like to toot her own horn, so I will! Here are some recent accolades on our current wines:

The Wine Enthusiast reviewed two wines for their December issue, the 2006 Dead Fred Cabernet scored 90 points, while the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc was Editor’s Choice and scored 91 Points!

The Wine Enthusiast also released their Top 100 Cellar Selections for 2009, and Lucky number 13 was the 2005 Selene Cabernet Sauvignon.

And finally, the Selene Wines Club has been received very well so far, who wouldn’t be happy to receive a 10% discount on a mixed case? Plus, 2-day Air shipping is included on all orders over $100.

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.

Cheers,

Mia Klein and Tracy Hall

Maybe you don’t think the number 13 is lucky, but right now, Mia and I do!

The Wine Enthusiast Magazine released their Top 100 Cellar Selections and guess who is lucky number 13?

Score 95 points: Selene 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley); From Mia Klein, this is a seriously good Cabernet Sauvignon, even better than the winery’s fine 2004. It shows a great balance of ripe tannins and fine acidity, with a judicious application of smoky oak. The flavors, of black currants and ripe mashed black cherries, have complex overtones of dark chocolate, olive tapenade and mushu plum sauce. Gorgeous now, and should age effortlessly for a decade.

Sweet! Thanks Wine Enthusiast! – Skippy

Hello from Selene!

We have been busy with harvest, but wanted to take a break to release our 2006 Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon!

Some of you may remember the first vintage, 2004 Dead Fred Cabernet, as it was an instant hit! The name always brings a smile to my face. Fred (RIP) was the beloved cat of the vineyard owners, David Goldman and Lisa Cort, and he found his final resting place among the blue oak grove that borders the vineyard. The vineyard is located in the Coombsville area of Napa. Just under three acres are planted on soils that range from sandy loam to gravelly and even cobbly loams, with two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon.

As a vintage, 2006 was nicely measured with normal-plus rain in the winter and even summer and fall temperatures for ripening. Grapes were harvested the third week in October. Fermentation and maceration times totaled 20 days. Wine was aged in 100% new French oak until bottling in June of 2008.

Here’s my tasting notes: Aromas begin with ripe blackberry cobbler, complete with baked brown sugar topping and a hint of sweet spice. There is also a syrup-like blueberry note and floral character; raspberry and mocha complete the profile. The impact and intensity of flavor in the mouth is exceptional. The texture is powerful and rich and the flavor lasts long after the first taste.

Plus, we are happy to report that the 2006 Dead Fred was reviewed by The Wine Spectator and scored 92 points! (580 cases) (3 bottles for $150 – shipping included!)

Other Selene news: We can ship to Georgia now! We are also setting up a Selene Wines Club. If you have ever purchased from us, you’re automatically a member! Members will receive special offers that won’t be offered anywhere else! How cool is that? It’s our way of saying thanks for all your support.

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.

Cheers,

Mia Klein and Tracy Hall

As you recall, Mia and I had fun designing a Capsule for the Dead Fred package.

We chose this design as our new Capsule. (There are two parts to a capsule, the ’skirt’ and the ‘top’.) There was a reason for every choice we made in this design.

1. We had the skirt of the capsule colored to match the background color of the Selene label. This really pulled the package together!
2. We added a red strip at the bottom of the skirt, to match the red on the Selene label.
3. The red strip with S E L E N E printed twice was cool, because you could see SELENE, even if it was an open bottle at another table and the label was turned away from you.
4. The top color was the same red as the strip (matched to the red color the label), with Fred there upside down (he was a black cat), with the vineyard name and Cabernet. So you know what it is, and where it came from.

Brilliant! Right? It was all good until we took it to the capsule company and they explained how Tin capsules are made, and why we couldn’t have our design.

First, the base color of the capsule is the fixed starting point. You chose your color, and the rest of the capsule is colored OVER that. If we chose the Cream color, and had the Red applied to the top and bottom, there would be a cream strip BELOW the red SELENE Strip. (the red couldn’t be applied at the VERY bottom) Maybe only 1 or 2mm of cream color below the red strip, but it moved the red SELENE strip UP the skirt. UGH.

The other option was to start with a RED capsule, then put a Cream color band in the middle of the skirt. The problem was the Cream would be a fixed length, meaning we either had to make the Red on the top, extend DOWN over the drip ring, or make our red strip at the bottom larger. UGH.

Either way, it was ugly. Our design went from classy to tacky within 2 minutes. The final beating with the ugly stick came with the knowledge that we couldn’t have “Fred” in the upside down position on the top. Fred would be printed, then the wording would be printed around him. He could be in any position, and it didn’t matter if we made the writing the same black color as the picture of Fred, they still had to do it as two passes, which meant no controlling where Fred was in relation to the wording.

We took our design back and decided to change everything based on our new found knowledge.

We ended up chosing our two most important features. The top, and the strip, while sticking with the red capsule to identify the Cabernet in the Selene lineup.

You will find the new capsule on our 2006 Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon.

This made designing the Chesler capsule a piece of cake. It will be on all bottles starting with the 2006 vintage! – Skippy

So we covered ‘Stock Capsules’ in Part One, but as you will see, Custom capsules are a whole different animal.

It all started when Mia and I wanted to design custom capsules for the Selene Dead Fred Cabernet Sauvignon, and (if we were successful) the Selene Chesler Wine.

We were faced with a similarity problem with the Dead Fred Cabernet package. How could you tell the difference between the 2005 Selene Napa Valley Cabernet and the 2006 Selene Dead Fred Cabernet? They both have a red capsule and the Selene label.

The only difference was on the label, below the vintage, Mia has always put the vineyard designation. So from any distance, or even in a poorly lit cellar, how would you know?

We thought the best place to start was with a new capsule.

We tried some green ‘foil like’ capsules to match the green cat eyes on the back label, but it looked awful!

We liked the logo that the Dead Fred Vineyard owners used, and asked them if we could use it, and work with their designer, Scott Idleman of Blink Design, to make a cool capsule that would make the package different.

Scott was great to work with and sent us 16 mock ups in no time. We saved a few old Cab bottles and used some two-sided tape to put the mock ups on bottles. Then we stared at them for a few days.

We kept the stash of mock ups on the kitchen cabinet, to grab and compare and make new bottles at will.

After a few revisions, Mia and I agreed on this one as our final Capsule designed by Scott. He prepared a final draft with the specs for us to take to the capsule company.

Up Next: What you want is not what you get! – Skippy

If I’ve learned anything, I’ve learned that capsules are an important part of any wine package.

For Mia, and her brand, Selene, it’s very important. There isn’t a bottle of wine that we open that she’s not looking at (examining) the whole package. Sometimes she comments on the bottle, the label, the closure, or the capsule. Maybe it’s because she’s ‘old school’ and sees it as an important first impression.

Mia has always used black capsules on her Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot.

When we designed the package for the Cabernet Sauvignon, we went with a red capsule. We were aiming for a ‘quick’ glance noticeable difference between the Cab and the Merlot if you saw them from a distance. The red capsule did the trick.

Some wineries use stock capsules, some get their capsule custom made. Each capsule company has it’s own line of ’stock’ capsules to choose from. This means that a Red stock capsule is pretty different at each company.

It’s how Mia found the perfectly matched capsule for the Selene Rosé, she went to different capsule companies looking for a stock capsule that matched the leaf on the label.

Up Next: Custom capsules. They are a whole different animal, which I learned the long hard way. – Skippy

The Twelve Days of Christmas at Meadwood Napa Valley runs from December 4th, 2009 through December 19th, 2009.

These dinners benefit Share our Strength. You can’t pick a bad night! Look at the line up of Chefs and Vintners.

Meadowood 12 Days of Christmas

On Day 9: December 16th, 2009 The Chef: Laurent Gras, L20 – Chicago teams up with Bob and Stacey Bressler of Bressler Vineyards and Mia Klein of Selene Wines.

Mia has been the winemaker for the Bressler’s St. Helena Cabernet Cabernet since their first release in 2000.

This is something you don’t want to miss!

On October 28th, 2009 Michy’s in Miami presents… “California Girls”

Join us for an exclusive dinner on October 28th, as we celebrate the food and wine from influential California women.

Welcome at the Bar with Rose of Cabernet Sauvignon by Selene (Mia Klein), Napa Valley 2008

Traci des Jardin’s Parmesan Reggiano Veloute with Prosciutto di Parma Crisps
Sauvignon Blanc, Blueprint by Lail Vineyards (Robin Lail), Napa Valley 2007

Suzanne Goin’s Roasted Fish and Fennel, Crushed Potatoes, Preserved Lemons, Charmoula
Sauvignon Blanc, Hyde Vineyard by Selene (Mia Klein), Carneros 2007

Judy Rogers’ Roasted Chicken and Bread Salad
Pinot Noir by Merry Edwards, Sonoma Coast 2007
Cabernet Sauvignon by Paradigm (Heidi Barrett), Napa Valley 2005

Nancy Sliverton’s Butterscotch Budino with Caramel Sauce
Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc by Honig (Kristin Belair), Napa Valley 2006

7:00pm sharp, reservations required
Michy’s 305.759.2001
6927 Biscayne Blvd.
Miami, FL 33138