About Us
Tom and Sarah Malone
owners-proprietors-designers
We are a creative couple who honed our style renovating homes over our 40 year history together and we bring our own skill set to any project we undertake. While I focus on the overall design and creative direction, Tom specializes in all aspects of construction, development and is equally skilled in handling almost any DIY task required. While nearing completion on our last project in Pebble Beach, we turned our sites toward the Sierra Foothills and Amador’s wine valley. We bought 21.5 acres with a tiny home in dire need of renovation which had room to plant vineyards and build a winery and tasting venue. We thought it was the perfect opportunity to expand our knack for creating casual environments with touches of European charm into a business influenced by the romance of rolling vineyards and quaint wine tasting venues. PleinAir is truly a reflection of all the things we love – we call it “casual rustic elegance” and we look forward to sharing our wines and our venue with you!
Daniel Malone
Winemaker
The youngest of our four children, Dan moved to Amador County logging years of experience in the wine cellars at other wineries while working his way into winemaking. His strong commitment and work ethic is evident and he contributes his efforts into the development of the PleinAir brand and its winemaking. He played competitive ice hockey for most of his childhood and teen years which provided a long list of life lessons not to mention a lifetime of adventures and memories for all of us. We encouraged the pursuit of his passion back then so it only seems fitting that he is along with us now on our journey and pursuits into this wine business.
Tom Malone
General Manager
Uniquely skilled and talented and this place could not run or function without him! He oversees and is involved in all farming practices in the vineyards in addition to aiding and assisting in the winemaking processes. He is also extremely humble and will surely give an eye roll when reading this!
Steve Leveque
Wine Consultant
Born and raised in the Napa Valley, Steve Leveque has earned a reputation for expertly crafting wines that reflect the purity and identity of his vineyards. His list of winemaking work reads like a who’s who in the wine world: HALL, Chalk Hill, Opus One, Mondavi. And, Steve has worked with wineries and growers in the Sierra Foothills for the past four years.
Steve is not only a winemaker, but also a viticulturist, spending significant time working in concert with vineyard owners, managers and viticulturists to produce exceptional grapes at an unparalleled level of quality. Dedicated to creating sustainable vineyards, Steve implements careful environmental practices with all his winegrowing efforts.
Steve honed his winemaking techniques during his 10-year tenure as winemaker at Robert Mondavi Winery. He also gleaned cutting-edge ideas from leading viticulture research and visionary collaborators including prominent wine consultant Michel Rolland. Steve went on to work as executive vice president and winemaker of Chalk Hill Estate Winery in Sonoma, where he handcrafted an award-winning portfolio from small-lot Bordeaux and Rhone varietals and Chardonnay.
Steve has earned three 100 Point scores from The Wine Advocate, two 100 Point scores from Jeb Dunnuck, two 100 Point score from Owen Bargreen, and the #2 Wine in the World from Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2011. Over 120 of Steve’s wines have been rated 99-95 Points from the elite wine publications. This is the culmination of years of experience centered on risk taking, experimentation, collaboration and a steadfast commitment to excellence.
