Back to Monza, Italy

Pictured together is Bob Brower and Tony Aniello (the lucky guy sitting in a Formula 1 car - ps. check out his smile).
The other picture is Tony Nobles and Bob - good friends from the Italian 275 tour in 2004.

Harvest for 2006 complete on November 1st

As rain was approaching it was time to harvest the last of the grapes hanging for 2006. This is our Sangiovese at the Estate in Carmel. This is our 25th harvest at Chateau Julien Wine Estate.

Halloween Day - 2006 The Vineyard is ready to pick.

As you can tell, the days are getting shorter the nights are getting colder and the canopy is beginning to turn yellow.
The good news is the seeds are brown and crunchy and the acid/ph is ideal.

TIME TO HARVEST!

Harvest at the Wine Estate November 1, 2006

We are hand picking the Sangiovese at the Estate tomorrow - One day later than last year. Pictures to follow.

Got an invite to Autodromo di Monza from Luca Cordero di Montezemolo

Some people have all the luck, in this case it was me. I got a Ferrari invite to the Nationals at Monza, held on October 26th through the 29th, 2006. Wow, what a thrill. First, this was Michaels retirement party and his last official running of a track for Ferrari. This was a great weekend with all the thrills and excitement of racing (even though I was a spectator). More to come in the following days about this event.

Ferrari Nationals at Monza - October 27th-29th

Time to go to the Ferrari National's to see Michael and the entire Ferrari team. What a treat!

Chateau Julien Wins at MCHA

Monterey County Hospitality Association held their annual golf tournament yesterday (October 18th) to incredible weather (80 degrees) and sunshine. Team, Chateau Julien, placed in first position for the winery category. Our trophy is pictured here. The golfers were, Bob Brower, Bill Anderson (winemaker), Steve Diamond (Manager of National Sales and Marketing) and Frank Mineo, Area Manager for American Wine and Spirits. Our gross score was 68 - 4 under par.

What's left in the vineyard and why?

Sangiovese is all that is left.
Our last grapes for the 2006 season are still hanging in Carmel Valley at the Estate.
Marta Kraftzeck reports as follows "We are essentially 3 brix behind where we were on this date last year. Therefore abour 2-3 weeks behind. hopefully we won't get any rains for the next month and we can pick them in early November or so".

Brix currently - 17.4 in the west block
House block - 17.1
East block - 17.1

Come on California sunshine! By the way - temperature for tomorrow is forcasted at 80 degrees F.

News for the World - Population 300 Million

As reported by the WSJ on Friday the 13th of October, 2006, our population will hit 300 million at 7:46 am tomorrow, October 17th, 2006. Hope they drink wine!

More on the Best Buddies Program

Pictured here is Bob and Patty Brower with Maria Shriver at the Best Buddies Event at the Wine Estate on October 14, 2006. The participants, pictures here, are beginning the race of 100 miles to Hearst Castle from the Estate.

Best Buddies Challenge at the Wine Estate

Pictured at the start of the race, at Chateau Julien Wine Estate on October 14th, 2006 is Maria Shriver (1st lady of California). Maria and her brother Anthony raised over 2.5 million dollars to help people with intellectual disabilities.

Pictured with Bob and Patty is the President of Volvo, Anne Belec and her assistant.

Edna enjoys birthday celebration

Edna Chinn has spent 24% of her life at Chateau Julien. We are celebrating her @$%* birthday at the winery today. See the women of the winery in the attached picture. Are they drinking Chateau Julien??????

Temperature fluctuations in transit found to have major implications for wine quality

A recent study by Sensitech (10/09/06) indicates that temperature plays a vital role in the winemaking process, maturation and, very importantly, storage.

The negative effects of temperature fluctuations on wine quality were confirmed in the study, aimed at finding a correlation between high temperature, temperature fluctucations and shelf life as well as a reduced organoleptic profile of the wine.

The study found that wines that were exposed to larger and higher temperature fluctuations were negatively affected on a sensory and chemical level.

What this all means is that wines from other regions of the world may have problems that are not associated with their wine quality, just the shipping so --- Store your wine in a quiet and temperature steady place and enjoy your wine!

Tailgating with Glenn Hammer

A glorious day for California dreamin' - a picture perfect day in weather, temperature and the 49ers won. As a guest of Glenn's you never know who might just show up. Pictured below is Eric Wright (49er retired). Remember him!! Thanks Glenn and Sue for your hospitality!

This will put you to sleep

What do Catechin and Epicatechin's have to do with wine quality? A lot!
Research shows that both compounds are found in high concentrations in seed and stems and may be found in the skins of immature grapes. Catechin is a useful indicator of seed extraction in wine. A pattern of high concentration of either of these compounds shows indications of immature grapes, and results in a bitter "cotton mouth" finish in some wines.

Now you know!

Guess Where this is?

On a recent trip I took this picture. Can you quess the city or town? Most of the wine in this region is imported from other areas.

How to keep the Birds away!

Do you think they don't know? This is one of the many scary creatures we have in the vineyard to keep the birds away. The birds are the most distructive to the grapes at harvest. This is a friendly way to shoo them away.

Gewurztraminer is in short supply for 2006

Gewurztraminer is in short supply for 2006. This year we only harvested 11.19 tons that will make approximately 541 cases of wine. We harvested this variety on October 2nd. This wine is normally released just prior to Thanksgiving on the year of harvest.

Last year we harvested 24.65 tons on September 19th that made 1,192 cases of wine.

This represents a 55% decline for this years harvest.

Pictured here is Marta Kraftzeck welcoming the grapes to the Chateau.

Rain ! Rain! The first of the year!

RAIN!!! IN THE FORCAST FOR CALIFORNIA FOR OCTOBER 6TH AND MAYBE 7TH!

Monterey County normally recieves about .8 of an inch of rain in October (National Weather Service). At Chateau julien we have already harvested over 200 acres of grapes and are closing in on completion for the year. The only grape left in the field is Sangiovese - pictured here. This is a thick skinned and loose clustered grape and can easily take at least one rainfall. Of course, we have to monitor all the conditions after rain to keep the vineyard and grapes in the best condition possible. We will keep you informed. By the way - We are harvesting Gewurztraminer as this blog is posted!

Another Cruise Line selects our wines

We are proud to announce that we have been selected for the second year a placement on the "Sea Cloud" a four masted schooner that runs both the Mediterrean and the Carribean. Please look for our Garland Ranch 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon if you are so lucky to take this journey!

Chateau Julien Enters the Poland market

In the lobby of the hotel in Warsaw, Ella (daughter of Wojciech - on left), Mike Mundt from Pacific Wine Company in Germany, Wojciech Kacperczyk (owner of Bordopol - our Polish importer) and of course Bob meet to discuss our new business in Poland.
What a great day that was!
September 23, 2006

Chateau Julien Wine Estate

Chateau Julien Wine Estate

Chateau Julien Wines in Germany 2006

During the week of September 18th through the 22nd, Chateau Julien Wine Estate participated in the Germany Road Show. Wines were poured and enjoyed in Langen(Frankfurt), Stuttgart, Dusseldorf, and Hamburg. We received confirmation that our Garland Ranch brand will stay for another year on the Sea Cloud Cruises that sail the seas of Europe and the Carribean.

Chateau Julien Wine Estate

Chateau Julien Wine Estate

California has no state wine?

From Foxnews.com - "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has stomped on a measure that would have designated zinfandel the historic wine of California.

Schwarzenegger said in a veto message issued Tuesday that the state produces many fine wines from different grape varietals and that it would be "inappropriate" to single out one for special recognition.

"It would be a shame to recognize only one as 'California's historic wine,'"' Schwarzenegger wrote.

The bill's sponsor took the news good-naturedly.

"It ought not to be a zin to be for zinfandel," quipped lawmaker Carole Migden, the measure's author. The Democrat initially proposed making zinfandel California's official state wine, but watered down the bill after California's wine industry was strongly opposed.

Zinfandel grapes date back to the state's Gold Rush days. Migden's bill states that California is the only region in the world where "Old Vine" zinfandel is found, with some vines still producing grapes after more than 100 years.

I like the fact that even though Zin was knocked down as an option...there have been no other suggestions. I suggest Merlot! Why not?! So Sideways fermented the reputation of Merlot. I for one will no slap anyone for ordering Merlot. Sometimes being sophisticated is to just be simple. So here it is...my nomination is for Merlot!

A cruise anyone?

We are proud to announce that Chateau Julien 2003 Vintage Cabernet Sauvignon (Barrel Selected) has been chosen by Seabourn Cruise Lines for their list of selected wines for the next year.

The Zin has arrived!

Today we have process the first load of our Zinfandel grapes. Oh did they look juicy and smell so sweet. However many times I go down to the processing center here at the winery, its always so poetic to see the grapes and juice just pour out of the trucks into the receiving bin.

This year's crop looks smaller

Below is an excerpt from an article posted by sfgate.com on Thursday, August 31, 2006.

If you believe that all things balance out in nature, this year's Northern California wine harvest -- which is just getting underway -- will not come as a surprise.

Heavy rains this spring were a worry, as they put the vines behind schedule and threatened the size of the crop. But warm, dry weather ever since allowed vines to catch up.

The July heat spell was another threat, with temperatures reaching as high as 115 degrees in Lake County,

Chateau Julien has already picked some Pinot Grigio from warm pockets of southern Monterey County; Chateau Julien picked Chardonnay on Tuesday as well.

"The Chardonnay is about 30 percent down from last year," says Chateau Julien winemaker Bill Anderson. "I'm glad that it's a little bit less. You have more time to do your work in a relaxed atmosphere."

Anderson said the quality of the grapes looks good.

"The numbers look great," he says. "I have good acid. The sugars are good."


Click here to read the entire article.

WIne Month - September 2006

The month of September is California Wine Month!! While all most of the California wineries are going to be host an event...we will be hosting events all month long. It's an exciting time and going to be a great month.

Week One: September 1st- 8th: The Wine Estate will offer a complimentary Chateau Julien glass to all tour guests. Only limited release Private Reserve wines will be poured on tour.

Week Two: September 9th – 15th: Select vintages from the Wine Estate’s library will be featured throughout the week, including vertical tastings of the winery’s flagship Private Reserve and Estate Vineyard Merlot.

Week Three: September 16th – 22nd: Various food and wine events and seminars held throughout the week.

Week Four: September 23rd – 30th: Tours of the Wine Estate will focus on the vineyard and educate tour guests on the sustainable practices of the industry.

Grapes, grapes and more grapes

Harvest started just last week but we have processed an obscene amount of grapes! Last week we started with Chardonnay. On Monday we processed Pinot Grigio. For anyone who doesn't know. Pinot Grigio grapes are actually red. Yes, they are red grapes but what happens is that when the juice settles, so does the color. The color just falls right out, leaving the white wine we see in the bottle. Some Italian wineries actually put Pinot Grigio in a green tinted bottle to give some color to the look of the wine. Very interesting. It looks like we might have a lighter load of grapes this year than we did last year, but that just means that this vintage will just shine a little more.

Harvest 2006 - Chardonnay

The 2006 Harvest season is underway! Today we are processing Chardonnay grapes from our lockwood vineyard. Here are some fun stats about where these grapes are from:

Block 601B
24.5 Brix
3.61 pH
.60 T/A

For a short video of the processing of grapes today, go to our podcast and download the latest video!

Guess who's coming for dinner?

Jackson Hole, WY - When Vice-President Dick Cheney and his wife Lynn celebrated their birthdays this month with a private wine dinner in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, Chateau Julien was there. The five-course, six-wine dinner for eighteen – held in a private home and attended by close friends of the Cheneys – was conducted by wine educator and sommelier Nicole Darracq, who was given free rein to select the wines. With the whole world of wine to choose from, Darracq selected only wines from family-owned boutique California wineries, across a range of appellations. Her Central Coast pick? Chateau Julien.

“I had worked with Bill Anderson’s wines before,” Darracq says. Anderson has been Chateau Julien’s winemaker since the company’s founding. “I needed a crisp Chardonnay for the pairing, with great fruit. Monterey County Chardonnay has such great tropical fruit.” Anderson, asked to select his best wine for the Vice President, chose the 2004 Chateau Julien Monterey County Chardonnay.

The wine was paired with the evening’s salad course, a confection of apples, walnuts, bleu cheese and pink grapefruit on organic greens with citrus-infused olive oil. In her presentation, Darracq spoke briefly about Monterey County’s wine industry, the tricky chemistry of pairing wine with salads and Anderson’s multiple honors as a winemaker. “The pairing was one of the most educational of the evening,” says Darracq. “The guests were delighted to learn that you can definitely pour fine wines with a salad – which is something most people don’t expect.”

It's getting really close!!

Verasion is in full 'bloom' in our lockwood estate and about to happen on our estate Sangiovese grapes. It is really exciting to see the grapes change color. Harvest is just a few weeks away and I will be posting a video of the the harvest in the 2006 Season!! Stay tuned to our podcast for this!!

Frong page news!

On the FRONT PAGE of the Monterey Herald on Tuesday, August 8, 2006 our Winemaker and Viticuturist, Marta Kraftzeck, is seen kneeling next to one of our vines in our estate vineyard.

The article headlines, Proposed Pesticide Ban Worries Farmers, in which they talk about Château Julien:

"Some wineries, like Chateau Julien Wine Estate, never used carbofuran. Winemaker Marta Kraftzeck said the winery relied on resistant and grafted rootstock and sandy soils in its largely organically grown Carmel Valley vineyard.

"I think most people are trying to stay with the grafted rootstocks because it's sustainable agriculture," Kraftzeck said.

Their South County vineyard grapes grow on their own rootstocks, and they've never had phylloxera problems -- though she admitted it's "throwing the dice."

"Some people just think that as long as they keep their equipment on their property and they are isolated, they'll be OK," she said. "If you did get it in your vineyard, I think most everybody can afford to plant on rootstock."

White Wine Sauce and Italian Chicken over Pasta

INGREDIENTS:
• 4-6 chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white wine (Sauvignon Blanc works especially well due to the herbaceous character)
• 2 10 oz. or one 14 oz. can(s) cream of mushroom soup
• 4 oz. cream cheese
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 finely chopped green onions
• 1 package of dry Italian salad dressing mix
• 16 oz. pasta - linguine works very well
• Sun-dried tomatoes
• Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Melt butter in large pot and stir in package of Italian salad dressing mix. Next stir in wine, mushroom soup and cream cheese until well-blended. Continue to heat (without boiling) mixture for about 5 minutes, sauce should be creamy and all cream cheese should be melted in.

Place chicken in single layer in baking dish and pour the above mixture over. Cook for 50-55 minutes. Cook pasta about 15 minutes before chicken is done. Drain pasta and serve chicken and sauce over the linguine. Top with sun-dried tomatoes and parmesan cheese. Don't forget to save some of the white wine to complement dinner!

Vineyard Update & Harvest Report 2006

Château Julien Viticulturist & Winemaker Marta Kraftzeck took an early morning trip south to the Estate Vineyard today. Following are her notes directly from the vineyard:

The 2006 growing season is moving right along. At this point, the grapes are in the beginning stages of verasion with approximately 20-30% of the grapes changing color (the final transition in the growing process). It looks like the typical first pick will be the Pinot Grigio in approximately 3 weeks. The vines recovered well from the early spring frost. A mild late spring-early summer gave the vines time to develop a nice leaf canopy to protect the clusters during the recent heat spell in California. This year we also adjusted winter pruning, enabling the canopy to develop vigorously early in the season. The overall yields look about average, with ideal cluster development throughout most of the blocks. We anticipate high quality among all of the varietals and ultimately a superb 2006 vintage.
- Marta

Pacific White Seabass With Mango and Wine Sauce

On a hot summer day, try enjoying this dish with a fresh tossed salad along with our Estate Vineyard Chardonnay or Barrel Selected Pinot Grigio.

Ingredients:
2 thick fillets of fresh white seabass (8 to 10 oz. each)
6 oz. butter, melted
1 tbs. butter (room temperature)
1 cup of Japanese panko bread crumbs
2 fresh mangos, cubed into small chunks
1 tsp. sifted flour
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 fresh lime, juiced
1/2 cup white wine
1 tbs. minced shallots

Mango Sauce: Place 1 tbs. of butter in a sauce pan and melt slowly, add flour and stir until well mixed and slightly brown. Add melted butter, garlic and shallots; stir until well mixed. Add lime juice and wine; stir and reduce for 5 minutes. Add in mangos and simmer until mixture thickens slightly.

Seabass: Dip seabass fillets into melted butter and then quickly dredge in panko crumbs, coating both sides. Bake at 350 degrees in a shallow, buttered baking dish for 15 to 20 minutes or until firm; do not overcook. Top with mango sauce and serve immediately.

Have you taken the CJ Challenge!

Attention Blogging Community!!

Have you taken the Château Julien Challenge?!?! As one has put it already, it's going to be the biggest grass-roots challenge to hit the wine industry for some time. We are proud of our wines...so proud we are willing to put ourselves to the challenge of going up against one of our leading competitors and challenging the fact that our wines taste better. Thats it! But who is the audience?? Anyone who is passionate enough about wine to author a blog about it. If you haven't received an invitational email...just email me John Scalla and let me know you'd like to participate. There is no cost to you, we send the wines. Just talk about us on your blogs, podcasts and anything else you author.

If you'd like more information, email me or give me a call here at the winery! (831-624-2600)

A visit to the Litchfield Plantation

Vintner's Dinner
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Litchfield Plantation's
Carriage House Club

Litchfield Plantation is one of the oldest rice platations on the Waccamaw River in South Carolina and still contains the original mansion, which is used as a Country Inn. It is estimated to have been built as early as 1740cc.

Jamboree 2006

Weekly Podcast for July 7, 2006

Cluster counts, a couple of good articles and as always a little more wine knowledge than before! :)

Go ahead...take a listen...

Weekly Podcast for June 30, 2006

It's the 4th of July weekend!! You know what that means, another reason to enjoy life with a nice glass of wine in your hand. Always responsibly of course. This week is a short podcast as not much has happened in the past week..but I didn't have any less fun recording though..hehe.

Weekly Podcast for June 23, 2006

Well Heeelllloooo! This week some interesting information about vineyards being asked to dig up their vines and stop making wine. Red wine good for you? In many ways. Join me for a the next 3 minutes and let's learn something new.

Chai Soiree Pictures

Friday June 16, 2006

An evening of pure fun highlighted by Chateau Julien wines and shopping tidbits. Passed hor d-ourves and small plates was enjoyed among the aging oak barrels of the Wine Estate’s Chai.

Wine & Cigar Dinner Pictures

Friday June 16, 2006

A simply fun, festive evening of culinary delight, fine wine and hand-rolled Dominican Republic cigars. Dinner was served under the stars in the Wine Estate’s Conservatory.

Just published our weekly podcast...

Featured on our podcast is this weeks new information from our vineyard and some from around the world. Join me...

Featured in Gene Hiller Magazine

In the Spring/Summer 2006 issue of Gene Hiller Magazine, Château Julien is the suggested red wine out of two wines listed in the magazine. The Private Reserve Merlot, representing the highest quality produced, is the favorite in the magazine.

Gene Hiller is the finest men's clothing in San Francisco and the Bay area. If you would like to know more about Gene Hiller, please visit their website.

Wine label standards have changed…

Château Julien Estate
High 67 Low 54
Mostly Sunny

Lockwood Valley Vineyard
High 78 Low 52
Mostly Sunny

Well, about a month ago the standards have changed. The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax & Trade Bureau (TBB) on Tuesday, May 2, 2006 set into stone in the Federal Register changing the minimum content requirement from 95% to 85% for vintage date statements on wine labels with state and county designations.

Now you may be asking, what does this really mean to wine? In the past (well before May 2^nd) when a wine label said a vintage year (1990, 1991…2000, 2001, etc.) it meant that 95% of the juice in that wine came from grapes harvested in the year that is displayed on the label. Now, only 85% of the juice has to be from the vintage year of vintage printed on the bottle label.

The Wine Institute argues that the change would benefit U.S. winemakers and American consumers, saying an 85 percent vintage date regulation would lead to “improved taste appeal and quality perception of many wines. Young reds would be smoother and less ‘green’ and would be more consistent across vintages. Older white wines would be fresher and fruitier and more consistent across vintages as well.” (San Francisco Chronicle)

I know that here we always try to bottle the best product humanly possible. We will just have to see what future vintages bring. Is this change good for the wine industry? Does it hurt the grape growers? Does it lower the wine standard in the U.S.? Good points on either side, however I highly doubt that U.S. wine will hurt from this.

Greatest summer trip…I think

In today’s world where gas prices seem to be unforgiving, trying to figure out what to do this summer with your loved one is a bit more difficult. I know that when I try to plan a vacation or weekend getaway the cost of gas is pretty much the deciding factor on which places I can go and which places I will just have to wait till next time. I think that it’s important to get away at some point in our busy lives, but to do so without breaking the bank is hard. Something that I have done recently with my girlfriend is to just go wine tasting. If you are reading this blog, then you have some interest in wine, so why not go out and taste wine at the vineyards where they’re made. It’s pretty inexpensive as most wineries do not charge to tasting. In most cases there is a bus that will take you to each of the vineyards and then back to your car. Here in Carmel Valley the public bus system, MST (Monterey Salinas Transportation), has a bus line dedicated to taking wine enthusiasts to all the vineyards in the Carmel Valley. Of course the favored spot on the tour is Château Julien, I can’t really lie there… If you were thinking about what to do, I say grab your love, friend, family, whomever and hit the vineyards for an enjoyable wine tasting experience.

If you have any suggestions or comments about wine tasting in your area just do a search in good for “wine tasting”.

What to look for on a vineyard

Château Julien Estate
High 66 Low 52
Mostly Cloudy

Lockwood Valley Vineyard
High 74 Low 50
Mostly Sunny


At this stage of the vineyard, the vines have grown quite a bit. It's beginning the summer months where traditionally there is longer sunlight exposure and drier conditions. Walking the vineyards we look at the lenght of the shoots. Since bud break was approx March, it appears the shoots (therefor canes) have good healthy growth. Look at the color of the leaves: nice bright green, no yellowing. Look for any signs of mildew (grey powder). The canes and leaves are free of mildew, because we are very diligant in sulfuring (a naturally occurring, environmentally correct, friendly, stable, nothing-Sierra-Club-wrong with it) compound. It was a very wet spring, so the big challenge this year, so far, is preventing mildew. (Causes sriveling of leaves and/or berries). Flowering on clusters, and fruit set are also important.

One day it just hits you....

You look out the window one day and notice that the vines have grown a lot since you last really looked at them. But that was just last friday! It's a jungle out there...

Weekly Podcast

This weeks weekly podcast has been recorded. I just love this part of my job! :) Enjoy and as always, I answer all suggestions, comments, complaints and anything of the such. Have a great weekend!