Joullian Vineyards

FEATURED WINE September 2010: 2008 Monterey Chardonnay

2010-09-10T15:09:00.000-07:00

We at Joullian Vineyards are proud to announce a new arrival to our wine list, the 2008 Monterey Chardonnay. The 2008 Chardonnay is a blend of fruit from six Monterey vineyards including the River Road, Roger Rose, SMD, Mission Ranch, Vina Monte Nero, and Sleepy Hollow Vineyards.

Tasting Notes:

Brilliant, straw green-gold color. Very floral white peach, lime, citrus blossom and creme brulee aromatics perfume the nose. An elegant, round lychee entry broadens into a fruity, white peach, Fuji apple, and silky mid-palate that seamlessly flows into a citrus peach and hazelnut finish. Cellar through 2012.

Food Companions:

Match our Chardonnay with roast chicken, quail, or Cornish game hen as well as shellfish, salmon, halibut, sole and sea bass ... or stir fried spinach with crab and black bean sauce one day, and pasta and cream sauce the next.

2009 Zinfandel Rose Release!

2010-06-23T15:36:00.000-07:00

Come join our proprietors Dick and Jeannette Sias for the release of Joullian's 2009 Zinfandel Rose. The event will take place on Friday, July 2 at the Tasting Room in Carmel Valley from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. We encourage you to stop in and enjoy our award-winning wines, sample delicious hors d'oeuvres, and take advantage of our Summer specials!

For directions and other information please contact the tasting room at (831) 659-8100. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Cheers!
Staff @ Joullian

Joullian Vineyards Selected to Produce the Official Players' Wine of the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach!

2010-06-14T16:33:00.001-07:00

Joullian Vineyards has been selected to produce the Players' Commemorative Wines for the 2010 U.S. Open Golf Championship at Pebble Beach June 17-20. All 156 contestants participating in this year's event will receive a bottle of 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Carmel Valley) and 2007 Monterey Chardonnay (Monterey County). Joullian was also chosen to produce the Contestants' Wines for the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Come visit the tasting room in Carmel Valley to view the special U.S. Open bottles and sample these wines with our other award winning selections. The tasting room is open daily from 11:00am to 5:00pm, and located at 2 Village Drive, Suite A in Carmel Valley Village. For information or further assistance please call the tasting room at (831) 659-8100.

Cheers!
Staff @ Joullian Vineyards

Local Restaurants Featuring Joullian Wine by the Glass

2010-06-11T14:55:00.000-07:00

Planning on visiting the Monterey Peninsula during the next week for the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach?

If you would like to enjoy a glass of the same wine enjoyed by the contestants in this years field, the following restaurants will be serving the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Carmel Valley) and 2007 Monterey Chardonnay (Monterey County) by the glass:

Monterey
* Charthouse
* Monterey Fish House
* Monterey Plaza

Carmel
* Bouche (Cabernet Only)
* La Playa
* Le St. Tropez
* Il Fornio
* Rio Grill
* Sea Harvest Carmel

Carmel Valley
* Los Laureles Lodge
* Village Fish House
* Wills Fargo

A Great Time Was Had By All!

2008-10-08T19:07:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday our wine club members braved the rain and the E-ticket ride up to the winery for a great party! We were not going to let a little rain get in the way of a great time, so the party was off to a roaring start.

It was the Crushers vs. the Stompers in the annual Wine Stomp. Ultimately, the victory belonged to the Crushers, as every drop of juice was smushed out of those little grapes. The juice is now fermenting and on it's way to becoming another award winning Joullian wine, thanks to our hard working wine club members.

Of course, after all of that strenous exercise, we needed to replenish our strength with some fabulous food and Joullian wine. Long family style tables filled the winery, laden with some of the most delicious food around, served with some fabulous library wines which were hand selected by our winemaker, Ridge Watson. You can not have an Italian Festa without an accordian, so we were treated to some of our favorite Italian favorites by an outstanding accordian player. Many of us were singing for the rest of the day, "When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore!"

It is really great to see our wine club friends, new and familiar faces. We really appreciate your loyalty and thank you for being a part of the Joullian family. We are already working on next year's celebration and look forward to seeing you then.!

Our Village Tasting Room

2008-10-03T11:22:00.000-07:00

Here at the Village Tasting Room, we receive so many questions and comments about our beautiful building. Contrary to many people's first thought, it was never a church, although it is built in the style of a Burgundian church. Our tasting room manager, Deb, is quick to point out that drinking our wine is a religious experience!

Here is the actual history of the building: It was built by a fourth generation local stone mason, Joseph de Maria to serve as his local studio. The exterior is made of Arroyo Seco river rock, with redwood beams that were salvaged from a demolished Carmel home. The interior of the building and bar are beautiful limestone.

Joullian Vineyards moved their tasting room into the building in March of 2000. Prior to that the building served as a chiropractic office.

We are extremely proud of our building and so grateful for our customers who look for us "off the beaten path." So next time you are in town, please come visit us! Our friendly staff is happy to serve you!

Autumn At The Vineyard

2008-09-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

Autumn in Carmel Valley is a special time. September and October are the favorite months for the locals, weather-wise. The mornings are crisp yet the sun warm enough to sweeten the grapes before they are harvested, giving forth the sweet nectar that become our superb wines in the skilled hands of our winemaker, Ridge Watson.

The colors in Carmel Valley in the Autumn would rival those in any artist's pallette. The light settles upon the vineyard and breaks up into every color of the rainbow. It is truly a special time.

We look forward with great anticipation, to our Harvest Celebration with our wine club members on October 4th. We love to share the magic that is Harvest Time here in the Cachagua Valley. If you are interested in joining us, please call us at the Village Tasting Room at 831-659-8100.

Harvest!

2008-09-18T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here’s “The Rest of The Story” many of you have requested...

Joullian Estate Harvest started Tuesday, September16th, versus the 12th....grapes are a little ahead of last year...we wanted Sauvignon Blanc a little riper, hence 4 extra day delay. Semillon will come in late next week, and we will probably harvest Primitivo as this year’s Harvest Party “Stompers vs Crushers” varietal on Oct. 4th. Zinfandel, and Zin blend varietals (Aleatico, Grenache, Petite Sirah, etc.) , Syrah and Merlot all are about average to above average crop, and at least 7-10 days ahead of last year. Cabernet Franc is down a little due to frost on April 24th, and Cabernet off nearly 50% for the same reason. We hope harvest finishes in early Nov this year...feels like an Early Fall... the Poison Oak on the hillsides has been red for over a month, and the tarantulas are starting to come out of their nests (old timers say rain’s just 2 weeks away when tarantulas start movin’).

Our Chardonnay from Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco will start Friday, September 19th, and continue into Mid-October. The crop is down about 10-20%, but the quality and sugar/acid balance looks very good... just give us the Woodstock Cheer”NO RAIN, NO RAIN, NO RAIN” for about another 60 days and this will be a top vintage !!

Note the lack of any leaves, rot etc in the pictures of the merlot in bins!!! We spend a lot of time and $$ sorting out M.O.G. (Material Other than Grape) so the grapes look like supermarket quality... this is one of the most important facets of top-flight winemaking. Even winery sorting cannot compare to removing M.O.G. as each lug is dumped....we pay one to two people with an eye for perfection to do this on each tractor, as well as the driver. And we don’t have to “fix” problem wines in the winery due to problem grapes... fixed wines are rarely ever great wines, period. Keep buying, drinking and selling as much wine as possible...your confidence , enjoyment and support is what makes this all worthwhile.

Salud!!

Ridge Watson

Harvest is upon us!

2008-09-12T08:39:00.000-07:00

Wow! It is hard to believe that it is already mid-September! Where did 2008 go?

Joullian Vineyards is now in the season of harvest. Right now we are keeping an eye on our Sauvignon Blanc, which is the first varietal that we harvest. Currently, the brix is at 22 degrees, so we are now waiting and watching for those little grapes to get to 23 degrees. We are working to make sure that the conditions are just right for making the terrific Sauvignon Blanc that many of you love and expect from Joullian.

In preparation for the harvest, our hardworking vineyard crew has just done the last suphur spray at 200 gallons per acre to make sure that we have gotten all of the residual ash off of the vines. As you may recall, the Basin Complex fire came a little too close for comfort a couple of months ago, and spread ash all over the Carmel Valley for miles.

Now, on a personal note, we want to wish our Tasting Room Queen, Deb a happy birthday! Many of you have had the pleasure of meeting Deb when you are in Carmel Valley. She is probably the first smiling face that you have gotten to meet from Joullian. So with our glasses raised we wish Deb a very happy birthday, with many more! Cheers!

We're Havin' A Party...

2008-09-04T09:37:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again. Harvest is upon us. It is the time of year when the leaves turn color. The vineyards take on the beautiful colors and of golds and reds. The grapes start to swell and become heavy with the sweet juiciness that means that they will finally begin their journey from fruit to wine. This is the end of the fruit being warmed and sweetened in the sun. Now they will be in the place where art and science commune under the skillful hands of our winemaker, Ridge Watson.

Harvest is such a special time for wineries. It is the beginning and the end all in the cycle of the vineyard and winery. It is a time of celebration. Every year we have our Harvest Celebration for our wine club members. This year the name of the celebration is the Festa della Vendemmia on October 4th up at our winery location in Cachagua. It will, of course, feature "The Return of the Stompers vs. the Crushers." Our staff is putting together the preparations and are excited about our guests arriving for a day of celebration, food, and great wine!

If you are a member of our Inner Circle Wine Club or our Estate Red Wine Club and would like to attend, please call us at 831-659-8100 or 831-659-2800. The ticket prices at $40 per person or $75 per couple. The admission includes our Italian food extravaganza, a Harvest T-shirt, and Joullian wine glass. We would love to have you join us for the fun day!

Until then- Vive Bene, Spesso L'Amore, Di Risata Molto! (Live well, Love Much, Laugh Often!)

Ridge and D'Tim's New Wine Dog!

2008-08-25T12:17:00.000-07:00

After Molly, our chocolate lab died 2 months ago, Maggie was pretty listless. A friend of D’Tim’s had been breeding labs, and said she had a several white labs left. Ridge wanted a black lab...’cause they don’t look dirty in the ranch environment. But on Aug 21st, the little lab was brought to Monterey for D’Tim to “check out”. The 21st, being an auspicious day in our lives, sealed the deal...so the beautiful “Bonita” eight week old little female came home to meet Maggie, the big “Syrah Dog.”...no worries, mate...they hit it off immediately and now we have the normal puppy- training chores ahead of us....and one fine natural retriever addition to the family.

One side-bar: The 1st night Bonita was left outside on the deck to sleep with Maggie, the alpha watchdog. We needed a slumber inducing device for the puppy...D’Tim suggested the radio...Ridge found the perfect program...BBC News...because nobody can stay awake for more than 10 minutes listing to the BBC at bedtime!!!

We Love Our Wine Club!

2008-08-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

We love our wine club members and we love our wine club pick up parties! It is always fun and exciting when we have the opportunity to see a lot of our local and not so local friends for their quarterly shipment of wine. We were happy to see our very first wine club member, Mike Masica, as always, joining in the festivities. It was a fabulous evening, with good food, great wine and terrific conversation. We just love our wine club members and so appreciative of all of your support!

Anyone who has visited us at our tasting room in the Carmel Valley Village knows that our staff loves to talk about food. It is nearly impossible to talk about wine without talking about food. So food is our favorite topic of conversation every single day. We are constantly pointing each other in the direction of favorite restaurants and trading recipes amongst ourselves. So with the weekend upon us, we would love to pass on a dessert idea from our awesome tasting room manager, Deb:

Pour the 2007 Joullian Muscat Hamburg directly over Vanilla Bean ice cream. Top with fresh raspberries and dark chocolate shavings. A very simple and elegant dessert. So very delicious! Enjoy it and have a fabulous weekend!

"Decant" Always Get What You Want...

2008-08-14T10:35:00.000-07:00

Many times, we receive questions about the proper process for decanting wines. The following information is shared by our winemaker, Ridge Watson:

Old wines are very sensitive to oxygen. They do not need breathing; instead they need protection from air. Your mouth PH adjusts and that’s why wines “open up” generally.

Here are some basic things to remember:
1) Decanters with stoppers are preferred.
2) Wines do not need swirling in decanters.
3) Serve older reds cooler. This hides oxidation and volatile acidity (i.e., vinegar)

Here is how to maximize your decanted volume of wine.

1) Three days to one week ahead of time, lay the bottle on its back, with the label up at a 45 degree angle. The sediment will gather in a nice, neat cone at the base.
2) Stand it up the day before serving. The cone will tighten. You do not want it to wrap around the entire bottom.
3) Hold the bottle rock steady while removing the foil and inserting corkscrew and extracting cork. Be careful not to shake the bottle, even if the cork breaks!

Decanting:

1) Use a strong light-Maglite is best. Shine it in the top shoulder of the bottle.
2) MOST IMPORTANT PART: Rest lip of bottle on the decanter edge so you have “one unit.” This helps you to pour smoothly and steadily.
3) Pour steadily. Minimize “glug-glug-glug” as soon as possible, so the pouring flows smoothly. Never back off as it stirs sediment. Let the light, wispy stuff go out…then stop when the big black swirl gets to the lip. If you did a good job, the remaining wine will be below the punt’s top-about 2-3 oz. (Use it in sauces and gravies!)

Celebrate Good Times!

2008-08-07T11:17:00.000-07:00

Very recently we had some excitement at our Tasting Room in the Village. We were proud to host a party in honor of the owners of our winery, Dick and Jeanette Joullian Sias. We are always excited when they come for a visit and this time we had an additional reason to celebrate. With them was the renowned artist, Benjamin Harjo. Mr. Harjo is highly regarded as the “Native American Picasso.” His paintings are so bright and vivid and added so much beauty to our beautiful stone tasting room. Mr. Harjo is also special to Joullian as the designer of our Zinfandel Rose. His artistry in our label incorporates the elements of the Earth, Sun, Rain, Pollination and the Four Directions. It is truly a beautiful label.

The party was a lovely success and we were happy to see faces of friends both new and old. Most noticeably missing was our dear friend, Fire Chief, Sidney Reade, who could not join us because she was hard at work battling the Basin Complex Fire. (For those that attend out parties, you also know her as the person who makes the best stuffed mushrooms EVER!) Out heartfelt thanks go out to Chief Reade and to all the firefighters for their dedication and hard work. You are true heroes!

2008-07-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

The whole wine world thinks we’ve burnt up or died from smoke inhalation...we appreciate your 3 million phone calls and emails, but it’s time to farm some grapes and make some wine!!! The Mandatory Evacuation ended last night ,so we can (legally) bring our crews back in to finish leafing and shoot positioning....we bottled July 8th before the evacuation...by the way, we never left, so we could defend the place....60,000gals/per day @ 500 gals/min is REAL attractive to the firemen.....did I say we have a pretty hot dog fire system for the entire 650 acre ranch???

The Basin Complex Fire is burning on the south and west side of Joullian/Cachagua Valley/Carmel Valley....got to about 2miles from Joullian as the crow flies....the 1999 Kirk Complex fire got to the top of the mountain you see in the “vineyard photo”....that one got our adrenaline going!!! The fire has burned about 130,000 acres (a square mile...a “section” for all you Mid-westerners...is 640 acres)...or 200 square miles. Lightning started the fires during our 9th Annual Zin-Q on June 21st...so our guests were treated to BBQ’d tri-tip, 2006 1st release Zinfandel, and a lightning storm that started a forest BBQ...all viewable from our winery picnic grounds!!! The fire is 60% contained, so it will burn until the end of July/early August inside the fire lines...and the crews, planes, choppers and ground engines will mop up “hot spots”...2000 firefighters, 45 engines, 14 choppers, 6 air tankers, 19 bulldozers, and $50 million are currently working on the blaze....unfortunately, 27 homes have been destroyed....despite the fire crews spectacular efforts...these crews even chain sawed and weed-eated around many people’s homes way before the fire arrived so the places would be defendable...so they’re gardeners as well as heroes...you can’t drive a quarter mile around these parts without seeing hand-written , heartfelt and well deserved “Thank-you Firefighters” signs.This is a “good/healthy” fire....burning underbrush, not mature trees, because the 1999 fire , the 1st since 1977, cleaned out a lot of overly tall brush, and unfortunately, a lot of mature trees....long intervals between fires are not good.....except for air quality.

So we’re breathing “1968 Riverside/L.A Basin” quality air every night and morning, there’s ash covering everything, the grape harvest will be slightly delayed due to reduced photosynthesis from ash and haze...but don’t expect any overtly smoky taste in your wine, folks....Joullian Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc will not go from Bordeaux Blanc to “Fume” Blanc....by the time harvest rolls around, we will have sulfur sprayed (not dusted this year!!) 300 gals./acre with an air blast sprayer right in the fruit zone for mildew control....so the grapes will look and taste “supermarket clean.”....for you Wine Club members, your Cabernet Franc is always smokey, so don’t go blaming it on the fire!!

The entire Joullian staff thanks you for your calls, emails, and especially for offering opening up your homes to us during the evacuation. You’re the Best!!!

Ridge and D’Tim Watson

Joullian Vineyards, Ltd.