joullian vineyards & winery

We first came here because a friend, Denise, is now here, and we hadn't seen her in a while. After a very warm greeting we were treated to an excellent tasting. The room is super cute, with a small counter and a few tables. There was a large group at the tables, but the counter was open to us, and the tasting menu is extensive, inexpensive (refundable with purchase) and somewhat 'customizable'. we are almost exclusively red wine drinkers, but did find the Chardonnay to be very good and not overly oaked. but my favorites are Cabernets, and there are some excellent choices here, at very reasonable prices. And while Merlot is usually less appealing to me, I liked the Merlot here well enough to take some home. I was told that the winemaker, Ridge Watson, has been here since the inception of the winery, and he certainly knows how to perform magic with the grapes grown here. We have been back a few times since our first visit, and will always make this a stop on our frequent Monterey/Carmel trips. On my birthday weekend in November we did another tasting, and then bought a bottle to enjoy on the patio. This is my idea of a great birthday!

Reservations made several months before for a Saturday 'grapevine wreath making afternoon' at the winery/vineyard, 30 minutes drive east of the Carmel valley tasting room. Well worth the 30 minute drive from the tasting room and the $45 per person price tag. It included a fabulous BBQ tri tip sandwich lunch, several salads and a glass of wine, your choice, from their estate wines. Everything provided so you can make a your own grapevine wreath and then decorate it with estate grown greens like rosemary, holly, bay, rise hips and more. You might want to bring your own folding chair, gardening gloves, clippers and apron. It's great fun but can be a little dirty (nature!) but also satisfying! You end up with your own beautiful wreath, and can tell everyone you made it yourself at Joullian! Price also includes a tractor tour of the vineyard and/or barrel tasting. Some great live music too. Pretty background sounds for a lovely setting. It's a short walk from where you park to the winery, but hilly and all dirt so wear your walking shoes.

Surprisingly good and tight Zin (the only one in the Valley I heard). Chardonnays are not typical overly oaked typical of far too many California ones (you can actually taste the fruit). Friendly and wine-knowledgeable staff. Reasonable tasting fee. In Carmel Village just south of Carmel Valley Road, located approximately 12 miles / 15 minutes east of the intersection of Hwy 1 and Carmel Valley Road.

Tasted here on a Sunday afternoon. Nice as you can sit at table. Had 2 choices of wine flights to try or $2.00 a taste ( normal now)Wonderful award winning ZIn. Comp the tasting fee if you buy a bottle, which is fair.Friendly & fun.

What better way to escape the the Coastal fog than a quick jaunt up Carmel Valley Road to taste a little wine. Spontaneity is good, but so is tried and true. So a spontaneous trip to Carmel Valley Village, and a stop at Joullian Vineyards tasting room. Joulian was great, and has something for all tastes. Due to the winery’s remote location, Joullian opened its tasting room in the charming Carmel Valley Village to help introduce visitors to Joullian wines. All but their Chardonnay is grown in the Cachagua Valley, where you can count on warm summer days and cool nights. We particularly enjoyed the 2010 Sias Cuvee, Zinfandel - an interesting blend of 82% Zinfandel, 8% Primitivo, 7% Petite Syrah, and 3% Alecatio, Alicante Bouscet, Carignane, Grenache and Merlot! Took a bottle home, but there's a good chance it won't get to age more than a few days! So go and get your own bottle, and taste the other nice wines on offer.

They have a wonderful tasting room in the village and an even more beautiful winery way out in the middle of nowhere. You need to get an invite to their BBQ at the winery. It is a lot of fun. If you can't do that, at least try to make it out to the tasting room in Carmel Valley Village.

We visited at the end of the day and were treated like friends. The staff very capably lead us through their offerings although a little light on knowledge of the product. Easy to get to just a nice drive east from Carmel along Carmel Valley Rd. Oh, and the wine is just fine.

My nephew works for Joullian and we were privileged to enjoy a tour of the vineyard and of the cellars.

Winery walking in Carmel Valley is an art in itself...there are so many (18) wineries to visit within walking distance, that you have to pick and choose. At Joullian, the people in the room are like the United Nations. We met a couple from Texas, of all places, Actually, she was from Texas and he was from England--but we both knew the same guy from Switzerland who was coaching soccer in Mill Valley. Small world syndrome. The wine pourer was a lovely, friendly, young woman, Amy, and the place was cute, and there were good bargains to be had. Loved it!

Loved Hal ! Great experience. Just the right amount of everything! Soooo much better than NAPA!!!

We are members of their wine club because we love their wines and the people are so nice. They have great special events throughout the year at their winery up the hill.

We arrived for a tourist winetasting at the time of their WineClub holiday party--totally by accident on our part but what fun!! The extensive types of wines produced was impressive and the value of these wines was easily demonstrated through the tasting. The staff was warm and friendly and the winemaker himself was there to share in the festivities.

We went to Joullian as part of a package with our hotel and were very pleased with the experience. They have very attentive people behind the bar that are willing to answer any questions about the wines. We loved the Cabernet Sauvignon so much that we bought the current release and a 2000 release that was on sale. Decent prices and worth the trip.

My wife and I visited the Carmel area in mid-May 2008 and decided to drive to Carmel Valley for some wine tasting. We especially enjoyed the wines and service at the tasting room of Joullian Vineyards, which is located just off the main road. (Note -- this is not the Chateau Julien, which is about six miles closer to Carmel itself).The service was friendly and attentive while we were there, but it really shined after we returned home to Tennessee. The staff of Joullian shipped us a free bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon after an error occurred in the shipment we had ordered while in the tasting room. The error was minor, and I would have been happy with a small price adjustment. But without my asking, the winery said they would compensate with the free bottle -- and they delivered. What more could you ask?