Chateau Julien Wine Estate
Have you ever sat amongst nearly 2000 aging oak barrels of wine, with ambiance lighting, an exquisite four-course meal paired with the winemaker's choice vintage wines from the owners' cellar? Witnessed Monterey County crush with the winemaking crew, followed by a family-style dinner in the cellar? Heard the beauty of a cappella performed privately in a Chai over the holidays? Chateau Julien Wine Estate rests amongst the Santa Lucia Mountains in beautiful Carmel Valley, California and offers a magnificent setting for eight different events throughout the year–such as the Fall Winemaker Dinner, Harvest Wine Seminar and Holiday Spectacular. You may view a complete list of Chateau Julien Events on our web site!
Family owned and operated since 1982, Chateau Julien Wine Estate produces Estate grown wines from the soils of Monterey County. Through daily wine tasting, estate tours and a selection of unique events, the winery continually shares its passion for wine and hospitality. For more information on the Estate, please visit us at www.chateaujulien.com or contact us at info@chateaujulien.com
Wine Tasting - The Sense of Smell
There are a few very important things to note when we "nose" a wine. It is suggested to first smell the wine before swirling, noticing the delicate aromas. Next, swirl the wine and smell again after it is at rest. Depending on the bouquet, you may then notice a profound difference in the odors emerging. Aroma is a smell that originates from the actual grape, with very clear cut characteristics. Aroma is most prevalent in young wines. The bouquet of a wine refers to smells generated as a result of aging; smells found particularly in mature wines that were aged in a bottle. The bouquet generally has much softer and complex characteristics than aromas. Identifying what you smell is usually the most challenging part in wine tasting. Although there are many smell categories used to describe characteristics of wine, none have been exclusively agreed upon.
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Grady Wann / Quivira
Winemaker and General Manager
Grady
Wann brings many talents to Quivira,
as Winemaker and General Manager. A scientist, artist, and humanist,
he is intensely focused and passionate about his work. Grady's
penchant for balance and beauty is reflected in the wines he crafts.
A combination of destiny and good judgement brought Grady to the wine business and ultimately to Quivira. Born and raised on the East Coast, he came to California in the mid 1970's to earn a Ph.D. in organic chemistry at Stanford University. In his free time, Grady explored the nearby wine country, discovering the wines of Chalone, Mt. Eden and Ridge Vineyards. "The Ridge Zinfandels really captured my interest." By the time he had his doctorate degree, Grady's professional interest had shifted from chemistry to viticulture and enology.
In 1982, Grady moved north to Sonoma County, where he gained hands-on harvest experience while taking classes at U.C. Davis. "At first it was difficult to get a crush job; no one thought a Ph.D. chemist would be willing to wash barrels." But he did wash barrels and tanks and anything else required, asking more and more questions along the way.
At U.C. Davis, Grady studied viticulture
and enology while making contacts in the wine industry. He met
and worked briefly for MaryAnn Graf at Vinquiry, an independent
wine analysis and consulting firm. He left Vinquiry to become
research enologist with Sonoma Cutrer's winemaking team in 1983.
"My job was to explore and track the effects of viticultural
practices and winemaking techniques on finished wines. I learned
a great deal about the vine-to-wine cycle." Limited to producing
Chardonnay at Sonoma Cutrer, Grady made red wines at home, filling
his garage with fermenting, blending and aging experiments.
Grady was introduced to Quivira's proprietors, Holly and Henry
Wendt, by the winery's first winemaker, Doug Nalle. "Then,
as now, Quivira possessed
very attractive elements: committed owners with focused vision,
and estate vineyards yielding delicious grapes and wines I respected.
The opportunity to handcraft small lots of wines, including Zinfandel,
was a dream come true." Grady accepted the Wendt's offer
to be winemaker in 1990.
Inspired by experience and his educated intuition, Grady regularly assesses Quivira's viticultural and winemaking practices and continuously takes Quivira to new levels of excellence. "We have all the ingredients here to create distinctive, brightly flavored wines. Each vintage brings us new opportunities to learn."
On any given day at Quivira, Grady
can be found inspecting vineyards, conducting wine blending trials,
filling barrels, writing witty sonnets, mapping treasure hunts
for visiting sales teams, constructing a "stage set"
for a special event, or quietly savoring a picnic with his wife
Jane, and children, Lauren and Kelson.
In 1996, Henry and Holly Wendt promoted Grady to General Manager
of Quivira Vineyards. In addition to winemaking responsibilities,
he manages an energetic and committed staff. In the true spirit
of partnership, Grady and the Quivira team work with great care
and pride. "This is more than a job for us, it is a way of
life. Our fulfillment is the consistent quality of Quivira
wines."
