Selene: SeleneWines.com

Mia Klein, winemaker and proprietor.

In Greek mythology, Selene is the mother goddess of the full moon. Selene's first vintage was the 1991 Napa Valley Merlot, followed by the 1992 Hyde Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc. Both were released in 1993.

"I chose to focus on Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot for a couple of reasons. Both varietals are personal favorites. Both have a wide range of styles; In other words, neither variety has a narrow or limiting definition of what it is or could be. From my perspective, lots of opportunity to craft unique, richly expressive wines."

"Mia Klein, owner and winemaker, began this label with the intension of producing distinctive wines from single vineyard locations and has been successful in doing just that. After an internship at Chappellet Vineyard and earning her Enology degree from UC Davis, Mia secured an assistant winemaker position under Cathy Corison at Chappellet and has also served as winemaker at Robert Pepi and Spottswoode. In addition to her own label, Mia Klein worked with Tony Soter making wines at Etude and maintained consulting positions at Spottswoode, Eisele Vineyard, Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery, Viader Vineyards, and Moraga Vineyards." Mia Klein currently consults for Dalla Valle, Fisher, and Bressler.

— SeleneWines.com

Check out this interview with Mia Klein.

Showket Vineyards: ShowketVineyards.com

Heidi Peterson Barrett, winemaker.

"Using the grapes of our beautiful Oakville hillside vineyard, we are committed to producing red wines of great distinction.

"Winemaker, Heidi Peterson Barrett's remarkable reputation comes from her ability and talent to make outstanding wines. Wines crafted by her have repeatedly brought some of the highest bids at the Napa Valley Vintners Association Annual Charity Wine Auction. Heidi has worked with grapes from our vineyard since we first met her at Gustav Dalle Valle's in 1988. We are delighted that Heidi stayed on our hillside where she cemented her reputation as one of the best and brightest winemakers in Napa Valley. We are especially happy that she is now using her talents and our vineyards to produce world class wines for Showket Vineyards."

— ShowketVineyards.com

Heidi Peterson Barrett also makes wines for Paradigm Winery.

Handley Cellars: HandleyCellars.com

Milla Handley, winemaker.

"Milla Handley is Handley Cellars winemaker and (along with her husband and her father) an owner-partner. Fermentation science is a natural interest for her, as she is the great-great-granddaughter of brewmaster Henry Weinhard. She bases her winemaking methods on a firm foundation of tradition, yet remains open to cautious experimentation. Milla seeks to make wines that are above all balanced. They yield a complexity of flavors while maintaining the character of the grapes. Her goal is a finished wine that is appealing, approachable, and attractively priced."

— HandleyCellars.com

Patricia Green Cellars:

Patricia Green , winemaker.

"Everything about Patty Green defies appearance. The 48-year-old winemaker didn’t follow the usual path to wine country. In fact, her arrival followed a long history of working in non-traditional professions, including tree planting, sailboat crewing, work in construction and geophysical surveying. At 5-feet tall, she doesn’t look like a winemaker, although up close, her small frame contradicts a physical and inner strength often overshadowed by a beaming smile. With nearly 17 years of winemaking experience, Green finally opened her own winery, Patricia Green Cellars, in the fall of 2000... “I was ready to change my life,” Green recalled. “I was burned out, fed up and tired with the wine business. I don’t think people understand how hard this work can be.”
Making wine for other people was sometimes frustrating, especially if winery owners and the winemaker didn’t always see eye to eye...
Most people familiar with Patty Green wines say they are accessible from the moment the cork pops, and age well in the cellar. Green is able to get great fruit extraction from her wines, and wonderful aromatics...”

— By Christina Kelly, Avalon Editior/Writer

(from article titled: "Fabulous Wines From Former Tree Planter" for full article, click on link AvalonWine.com

Fiddlehead: FiddleheadCellars.com

Kathy Joseph , winemaker.

"Fiddlehead Cellars is a different kind of winery. Kathy Joseph, Fiddlehead's founder, set out to capture the pure essence of the world's finest grapes like no vintner ever has. She does not try to bring these grapes to her; rather, she brings herself to the most flavorful, most robust, most memorable Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc varieties she can find. Fiddlehead is a very personal effort. She travels frequently between the Willamette Valley of Oregon, where her award-winning Pinot Noir originates, and the Santa Barbara region of California, where the grapes of her absolutely stellar Sauvignon Blanc and Santa Rita Hills Estate Pinot Noir bask in the region's idyllic clime." Kathy was mentored by the great winemaker, Zelma Long, of Simi Winery.

— FiddleheadCellars.com

Pine Ridge: PineRidgeWinery.com

Stacy Clark, winemaker.

"Stacy Clark says her winemaking philosophy is to make wines of great texture, balance and flavor that demonstrate the distinct characteristics of the various growing regions where our estate vineyards are located. She has had experience with harvest work in the Mosel region of Germany and has traveled extensively in Bordeaux and Burgundy."

— PineRidgeWinery.com

Corison: Corison.com

Cathy Corison , winemaker and Proprietor.

"Cathy Corison knows exactly what she wants from a wine and not from just any varietal, but from the king of red grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon. Her laser-beam-like vision in winemaking has made her one of the best consistent winemakers through great and not-so-great vintages, and that is her claim to fame. You know exactly what you are going to get when you buy a Corison Cabernet and it can best be described by Cathy herself, “...walks the line between power and elegance”. The essence of Cathy’s wine is an ideal balance of power and elegance. In that way, her wines could never have been any different because they are an expression of Cathy herself. She knows, and always has known, how she wants her wines to be."

— CaliforniaReds.com

Veuve Clicquot : ClicquotInc.com

Madame Clicquot

"The remarkable Madame Clicquot (1777-1866) is often considered the first businesswoman of the modern era. Born Nicole-Barbe Ponsardin, she was widowed in 1805 at the age of 27. Veuve Clicquot ( Veuve means widow in French) defied every convention of the day to take the helm of her late husband's small Champagne house. She enlisted help wisely, took astute risks and made important technological innovations (including the invention of remuage or riddling), leading the House to world renown. One of her most significant triumphs was sending a secret shipment of her Champagne to Russia in 1814 in defiance of Napoleon's blockade--a great success."

— ClicquotInc.com

Duval-Leroy: Duval-Leroy.com

Carol Duval-Leroy, Proprietor

"Carol Duval-Leroy, President of Champagne Duval-Leroy, joined the very select group of women involved in running champagne houses in 1991. After the sudden loss of her husband that same year, she became the company chairwoman. For ten years, the modernization of production processes, the development of traditional distribution channels, the increased product range and expanded exports are all objectives that Carol Duval-Leroy has set for her company."

— Duval-Leroy.com

Deakin Estate: DeakinEstate.com

Linda Jakubans, winemaker.

"Deakin Estate vineyard is located at Red Cliffs, near Mildura in the North-West of Victoria. The region has become one of the most productive agricultural areas in Australia. Linda's diverse background started with Food Technology and Biotechnology but she soon found her calling for the wine industry. She studied Wine Science with Charles Sturt University whilst working as assistant winemaker with Mildura Vineyards. Linda has been part of the Deakin Estate team since 1992."

— DeakinEstate.com