 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Jonathan Nagy is Director of Winemaking at Byron Vineyards & Winery, a producer of handcrafted Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, located in the Santa Maria Valley, California. Founding winemaker Byron "Ken" Brown, who taught and influenced many of the region's most notable winemakers, hand picked Jonathan for this role. Ken recognized Jonathan's highly-developed skill and his desire to make world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In this position, Jonathan is also the winemaker for Io, a Rhone-inspired blend and two vineyard designated Syrahs.Jonathan directs daily winemaking decisions, including crush, fermentation, and cellar and bottle operations. He and his team are dedicated to improving wine quality at every step of the winemaking process, using a blend of old world tradition and new age technology at Byron's multi-level, gravity-flow winery. Jonathan graduated from the University of California, Davis in 1997 with a Bachelor of Science in chemistry. During the 1996 and 1997 harvest seasons, he worked as a lab technician at Robert Mondavi Winery in Oakville, California. Following graduation, Jonathan took a part-time position in the tasting room at Cambria Winery in Santa Maria. With his expertise in chemistry, he was named full-time lab director in 1998. The following year he was promoted to enologist. In March 2001, Jonathan joined Byron Vineyards & Winery as assistant winemaker, where he trained with winery founder Ken Brown and was promoted by Ken to his current role in the spring of 2003. According to Ken, "Jonathan has a great wine knowledge and savvy instincts. At only 31 years of age, he has one of the best palates I've ever tasted with and I am confident that he will continue to produce world-class wines." Jonathan has an enthusiasm for Burgundian varietals and learned from his experience with Ken. "Working with Ken taught me that paying attention to every detail adds up to make a big difference," says Jonathan. "For example, I work closely with the vineyard crew to make sure they are focused on quality when pruning or picking. We use a sorting table during harvest to ensure only the best clusters are de-stemmed and delivered to the tank. Also, we initiate a yearly cooperage trial to see which French oak barrels most compliment the wine." Describing Santa Maria Valley as one of California's optimal regions for growing Pinot Noir, Jonathan devotes much of his time to exploring and understanding the vineyards - a practice he also attributes to Ken's influence. Jonathan lives in Santa Maria with his wife, Clarissa, who is also in the wine industry. He likes playing basketball and coaches a local high school basketball team. Also passionate about the outdoors, he and his wife enjoy hiking and exploring California's rugged Central Coast region. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 Vineyards | Winery Facilities |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Byron > Inside Byron > The Winemaker | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
