The Team
Clos Solène is a family owned winery on the westside of Paso Robles in the heart of the Willow Creek District. They say it’s team effort, and here at Clos Solène it is no different. Guillaume, with his assistant winemaker, Aurelien Crouzet, focus on the vineyards and the wines, while Solène, and Roxanne Malkie, run operations. Together as a team, Clos Solène is no longer pouring out of their kitchen, but in a quaint tasting room nestled in the vines of the 28-acre estate.
Guillaume Fabre
Owner & Winemaker
Born and raised in the Southeast of France, Narbonne, Guillaume comes from a family of grape growers and winemakers. After 24 years in Narbonne, he moved to Bordeaux. Both regions famous for their wines are also very different from each other. It requires some grape growing and winemaking experience to switch from one to the other, such as different climates, soil types, vine illnesses and more. But life is full of surprises. Not convinced he wanted to make wine in Bordeaux, he took a harvest internship at L’Aventure in Paso Robles. The same bolt of lighting that he felt for Solène, struck again. He fell in love with the soil and terroir of Paso Robles. What was supposed to be a 3-month harvest internship, turned into 6 months, and he was offered the position of Assistant Winemaker. While working for L’Aventure, he worked day and night on his own project - to launch his very own brand. In 2007, Clos Solène was born.
Favorite wine: Mon Millésime
Solène Fabre
Owner, Muse & Estate Yoga Guide
“Who would have imagined I would live in California one day!” Solène was born and raised in a small town in North West Bordeaux, Bourg sur Gironde, where her parents were both doctors. She grew up like any child in her hometown, harvesting in September to make some money, drinking a small glass of wine at dinner because it is cultural. But besides her mother who always dreamed that she would marry a winemaker, she didn’t know much about what was to come…
Solène studied Spanish Language, Literature and Civilization at the University of Bordeaux, France, and in Seville, Spain. Just before graduating as a Spanish teacher, Guillaume mailed her a plane ticket to come to see him in Paso Robles while he was there as an intern. This is how they decided to move the following year to California. She worked for two different wineries before she started working full time for Clos Solene.
“This is a dream becoming reality. We invested the small savings we had, worked and still work as much as possible to, first, make an elegant wine with character and personality, but also to develop a relationship with the persons who are supporting us in this endless work. I love sayings and proverbs so let me finish with this beautiful sentence by Eleanor Roosevelt: “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.”
Favorite wine: L'Insolent
Alexandria Roehlk
Sales Manager
An alumna of Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, graduating with a Bachelor's of Science in Agricultural Communications Alex attended coursework in agricultural sciences, marketing, sales, public relations, and journalism classes. Alex spent most of her college career carrying out her senior project, a local craft wine market for boutique winemakers. This is when she fell in love with the wine industry, but particularly those wineries that are small, family owned and farmed. After spending a year abroad in Australia and New Zealand traveling to various wine regions she returned to the Central Coast to make this her home. Alex was invited to join the Clos Solène family in 2020, starting as an Estate Host, with a particular passion for sales and private client, Alex has grown into our Sales Manager.
Favorite wine: Cuvée Jean
Connor Quiroz
Production Hand
Growing up in the Central Valley of California in the town of Fresno, California, he was always surrounded by agriculture. Connor attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and graduated with a Bachelors of Science degree in Wine & Viticulture. He dove into the working world with two harvest internships, one with Orin Swift in Napa and the other in Edna Valley here on the Central Coast. After graduation Connor worked a year in Santa Clara doing Chain Sales for EJ Gallo before coming to the realization that learning winemaking was the passion that he truly wanted to pursue. After meeting with Guillaume and Aurelien and hearing the story of Clos Solène, Connor was convinced to move back to the Central Coast and join the the team as their first official Production Hand in 2021
Favorite wine: El Toro
Talia Mata
Hospitality Manager
A central coast native, raised in Orcutt, California, Talia was nestled between two famous wine regions: Santa Ynez & Paso Robles. Her high school sweetheart, Alex, introduced her to the wine industry and after 2 years studying at Alan Hancock Junior College, Talia immersed herself in a French inspired tasting room in Los Olivos, immediately falling in love with the art and people in wine. When presented with moving north, she searched for a winery that felt like home; a small, french, family owned property called Clos Solène. Talia's sweet nature, warm hospitality, and perfectionism made her the missing piece to our team. You'll recognize her in the tasting room by her fabulous style, fresh manicure, and infectious smile!
Favorite wine: En Coulisse
Nancy Mayerson
Estate Host
As a wine enthusiast for many years, Nancy has been enjoying Central Coast winery experiences for decades, but when she and her husband visited Clos Solène, they were blown away by the wines, the personal tasting experience and the heart-felt family business that carries a legacy. Nancy, or as the team calls her, "Mama Nanc," joined the hospitality team after moving to the area from Westlake Village, having retired from running her boutique marketing and PR agency for 30 years. She brings a happy spirit and bright smile to our tasting room!
Favorite wine: Fleur de Solène