Karen McKenzie was raised in Monticello, the mythical city that now sits under forty feet of water at the bottom of Lake Berryessa.  She met Bob while studying art at San Jose State University, and together they cultivated their love of the Napa Valley, wine, art, and kids.  After raising their five wonderful children, Karen returned to school for her teaching credential.  She is now a hard-working high school art and ceramics teacher.

Bob Mueller was raised in Rutherford, just north of Napa, where his family farmed grapes.  After graduating from UC Davis, Bob went to work for the Robert Mondavi Winery.  He began his career working in the cellar, and eventually became the Director of Enology at Mondavi.  In 1979 he and Karen bought their first vineyard on Big Ranch Road, and in 1989 they founded McKenzie-Mueller Vineyards and Winery.

Jayson Cleveland, who recently joined McKenzie-Mueller, grew up about a ½ mile from the present McKenzie-Mueller vineyard, so he’s familiar with the land and what it offers.  Jayson’s love of wine comes from being raised in a Portuguese family, where wine is a part of  life, to be enjoyed with food, family and friends. It doesn’t take much to get him to open and share a great bottle or two of wine with new found friends.