What do we know about Selene Wines? Mia Klein the winemaker produces hand-crafted Napa Valley wines and Selene is her own label started in 1991. Selene Wines are made at the Laird Family Estate, a Napa custom crush facility utilized by folks like Mia. Selene currently produces 6 very wonderfully good wines the Sauv Blanc, 2 Cabernets, 1 Red Blend, 1 Merlot and 1 Rose. To read more about Mia and Selene wines I encourage you to check out their website at http://www.selenewines.com/welcome.html
Wonderful aroma coming from my glass starting with an orange/tangerine citrus (per the tasting notes it's nectarine so yes I was close on the citrus piece although I swear there is orange). Next a nice combo of peach/pear and fresh melon while finishing with a hint of lemon. The fruit aromas marry together so perfectly neither of which is overpowering.
Yes I label this as "A Sauvignon Blanc to die for" and a must for all sauv blanc wine lovers. The nectarine starts the mouth tingling with excitement. Second the peach/melon combo and hint of pear compliment the citrus of the lemon. Slight hint of vanilla at the end. So much great fruit in this wine and the flavor literally explodes in your mouth. Mia any chance you could make me and endless bottle of this beauty?
Thank you Tracy for the samples and introducing me to Selene Wines. Thank you Mia for your winemaking creativity. Outstanding wine.
Cheers
Dan
4 comments:
What an awesome discovery, eh? Great ladies making great wines! I see a lot of great things in their future! More people should write about them! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Sounds interesting Dan. Did they say how it's aged. I would think there's a touch of oak if you're getting vanilla on the finish. Was the mouth feel more like a Napa Chard than a Marlborough Sauv Blanc? Some wineries, like Hartwell, barrel age their Sauv Blanc and it becomes a heavier, creamier palate with great weight to it.
Cheers
Matt
Matt,
I believe 6 mo's part aged in french oak. You could tell without a doubt it was a Napa wine.
Dan
Dan, thanks for the kind words. Glad you enjoyed the Sauv Blanc.
Good question about the oak! Mia prefers French Oak for all her wines, but she doesn't age the SB in Oak. She believes that SB oxidizes pretty easily, so she doesn't let it sit in oak, it's only in oak during fermentation. Once fermentation is complete (6 to 8 weeks), it comes out of the Oak barrels and goes into stainless steel barrels on lees. (No malo either)
She ferments 30% to 50% of the SB in 100% new French oak barrels. The remaining SB is fermented in Stainless steel barrels (Mia was the first one to use SS barrels on SB in Napa, now it's pretty common).
She keeps both lots separate for blending purposes, so it's not like it's just all blended together after fermentation.
Let me know if you have any other questions, and thanks again!
Tracy
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