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Tina Mitchell

Winemaker, Palmaz Vineyards

My interest in wine developed while attending UC Davis as a premed student. I was introduced to wine when a friend from my hometown Ukiah opened a winery. I then took an Enology & Viticulture class & worked a harvest down in Paso Robles & knew I had found my career path. I worked another harvest at Rutherford Hill Winery and afterwards finished my last quarter at Davis and received my degree. I have since worked at Louis Martini, Niebaum Coppola & William Hill Winery. At Niebaum Coppola I was fortunate to work with the legendary Andre Tchelistchef for 6 years. Andre taught me the importance of being a "hands on" winemaker.

Country born: United States

Education: BS Viticulture UC Davis
Andre Tchelistcheff

Years in the wine industry: 30+ years

Winemaking Philosophy:
I believe that the wine is made in the vineyard. I am fortunate here at Palmaz to not only make the wine but to have complete control over the vineyard. I know all of our vineyard blocks intimately & make all the decisions from pruning, irrigating, managing the canopy, fruit thinning & harvesting. This gives me a unique perspective on what wine each individual block will yield and my goal as the winemaker is to insure that the terroir is expressed in each lot.

Mia Klein

Winemaker, Palmaz Vineyards

Mia Klein is one of America's most sought-after consulting winemakers. In addition to her work in the winery and vineyards at Palmaz, Mia has consulted with Araujo Estate, Spottswoode, Dalla Valle and Viader. Mia also produces Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet and Merlot under her own Selene label. Food & Wine named Mia "Winemaker of the Year" in 2003.

Country born: United States

Education: After receiving my degree in Enology from U.C. Davis, I worked my way up from the cellar to assistant winemaker and then to winemaker. I worked at Chappellet and Robert Pepi. I then left the world of regular employment and began consulting with Tony Soter. I've consulted for Spottswoode, Araujo, Viader and Dalla Valle. Not long after I began consulting, I started Selene Wines.

Years in the wine industry: 20-30 years

Honors / Awards:
Food & Wine Magazine- Winemaker of the Year 2003

Winemaking Philosophy:
I love making wine. From that first harvest, working the nightshift for Cathy Corison at Chappellet, I knew there was no doubt. Up to that point, I knew that having wine as a part of a meal with friends made that meal and that get-together something extra special, but until I worked in a cellar with grapes, wine, barrels, hoses, pumps, and other equipment, I didn't know how much I would love actually making wine.