By Jules Polonetsky
For years, the name Sagie Kleinlerer has been synonymous with the quiet, relentless execution behind the scenes at Covenant Wines. Serving alongside iconic figures in Berkeley and Napa, Kleinlerer has spent a decade helping guide one of California’s most celebrated kosher wine institutions. Yet, a lifetime spent mastering a specific house style often sparks a desire for standalone, personal expression. With his independent label, Kleinlerer Wines, he is releasing an intimate, boutique lineup that reflects his personal philosophy and decades of hands-on winery experience.
The Legal Mind and the Vines: A Unique Background
Sagie was born in 1977 and grew up in New York City, the son of an Israeli mother, Nitza, and a Polish Holocaust survivor father, Sacha. His father’s post-war stopover in France left an indelible mark on the home, meaning Sagie was raised around a French culture where having wine at the table was standard. However, Kleinlerer is quick to point out that his Israeli background was also a big influence on his upbringing.
After a pivot following Sept. 11, Kleinlerer enrolled in law school and began working in the New York office of a large Israeli law firm. The ultimate turning point came after his father’s passing in 2011, when he decided to take a permanent break from the law to pursue a life in the cellar. Reflecting on this dramatic transition, Kleinlerer says, “I actually jokingly call my career in wine as my redemption story. I spent nine years working for an Israeli law firm in New York, and I would spend my days tearing things apart … For me, wine is the opposite. Wine brings people together. Wine brings joy and happiness. It’s a celebratory thing.”
The Engine Room of Covenant: Managing Director and Catalyst
While Kleinlerer’s personal label has generated significant excitement, his daytime portfolio remains anchored by his responsibilities at Covenant Wines. As managing director, his role bridges the gap between agricultural execution and global commerce, overseeing sales and marketing strategies that have pushed Covenant into international territories. Though Covenant has been highly supportive, Kleinlerer Wines operates as a truly independent project that allows him to express a distinct winemaking vision. “Jonathan Hajdu creates all the wines for Covenant, but he has his own style, and I have my own style,” Kleinlerer explained. “What I do at Kleinlerer Wines is create wines in a style that I love — more of a European style, but with a California brightness and freshness. The style that I look for is a little bit more restrained. My wines have almost no intervention in them … they’re indigenous fermented … unfined and unfiltered, with very limited sulfur dioxide.”
“Every winemaker really is a little bit crazy, we are kind of like chefs, we like to experiment,” Kleinlerer declared. In the future, he would like to explore blends, or if he can source high quality Barbera, he might try his hand at making that Italian varietal.
Academic Rigor: The Rare DipWSET Distinction
Kleinlerer is a self-described wine geek backed by a level of academic rigor that sets him apart from standard boutique producers. Alongside earning his Certified Sommelier pin, he achieved the highly coveted WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines (DipWSET), a grueling academic challenge that requires a profound, systemic understanding of global wine production, chemistry and blind tasting. He is one of very few professionals in the entire kosher wine sector to hold this advanced degree. Kleinlerer is currently teaching a special kosher edition of the WSET Level 3 course.
Yet despite his elite technical credentials, Kleinlerer is the first to cut through the industry’s pretension. “Wine is not about the tasting notes … Wine’s about friendship and religion and history, and everything that surrounds that,” he asserted. Rather than focusing on acid or alcohol levels, he finds his greatest reward in community connection. “My favorite part of the wine business is when I get texts and emails from people … saying, ‘hey, I had your bottle of wine at this dinner,’” he shared. “To me, that’s the greatest thing, because a part of me is in those wines, and I get to share in their celebration in their happiness.”
Inside the Bottle: The Roster and Purchasing Guide
While his solo venture began as a small, word-of-mouth project, a significant shift occurred with the 2024 vintage. Kleinlerer Wines officially obtained OU Kosher for Passover certification, expanding his reach to observant consumers. Ultimately, his motivation for the label is deeply personal: “I wanted to put something out there in the world that brought joy and happiness and togetherness.”
2024 Skin Contact Chenin Blanc (Clarksburg) — Approx. $28 to $32: Sourced from an organic vineyard bordering the Sacramento River Delta, this 100% Chenin Blanc spent 21 days fermenting on the skins. It was recently awarded the prestigious Judges’ Selection TEXSOM Medal at the International Wine Awards. Squeezing maximum texture and weight from its skin maceration, the wine is unfined and unfiltered, showing a beautifully cloudy hue. It offers vibrant aromas of golden apple, pear, pineapple and light honeyed sweetness balanced by a sharp, food-pairing acidity.
2025 Cuvée Sacha & Nitza Rosé of Cinsault (Lodi) — Approx. $35: Named in loving memory of his parents, this light, floral rosé is crafted from 100% organically farmed Cinsault grown in the sandy soils of Bruella Ranch along the Mokelumne River. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in neutral French oak barrels, it offers delicate old-world notes of fresh strawberry, watermelon and summer flowers. Unfined and unfiltered, it is built to mimic a classic Provençal rosé. I am not usually a fan of rosé, but the mouthfeel on this bottle was exceptional.
2025 Dancin’ Sophie Red Wine (Lodi) — Approx. $39: A light, joyful, 100% Cinsault crafted explicitly to be served with a slight chill. Bursting with clean fruit expressions of fresh raspberry, watermelon candy and red plum, it focuses entirely on bright, juicy drinkability and low-tannin freshness. Named after his wife, this is a wine for a picnic or poolside.
2024 Pinot Noir (Carneros) — Approx. $59: Sourced from cool-climate vineyards in Sonoma, this 100% Pinot Noir utilizes a 10% whole cluster fermentation technique. Built with an old-world European structure but showing plenty of bright California fruit comfort, it favors earthy restraint and refined lines over heavy extraction.
Where to Buy: Because production runs are tiny, allocations are highly limited. Collectors and enthusiasts can buy these releases directly from the official winery website at kleinlererwines.com. Select bottles from the lineup are also available through specialized online kosher retailers, including Liquid Kosher, Elkwine and boutique independent wine shops. Kleinlerer is proving that traditional kosher boundaries do not prevent a winemaker from crafting deeply personal, artisanal California wine.
L’Chaim!
Jules Polonetsky is a Wine and Spirits Education Trust Level 3 certified wine expert who edits a wine education website at kosher-wine.org.
