Winemaker
Katell Griaud
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Upperville, Virginia, United States
i. Biography
Katell Griaud comes out of French wine lineages that are practiced, not ornamental: born in Limoges, she was raised at her family’s winery in Monbazillac, where seasonal timing and cellar discipline were part of the working day. That early exposure shows up in the shape of her career, which moves from France into other wine regions and keeps returning to the same demands: harvest decisions, cellar labor, and consistency under pressure.
The Climb
Work in Michel Rolland’s laboratory at Bordeaux, France placed Katell Griaud in a setting where winemaking is measured through exacting, hands-on labor rather than theory. The pace there is the practical one behind finished bottles, with harvest and cellar work carrying the weight. From there, harvests in France and New Zealand added the comparative discipline that comes from working across hemispheres and seeing how the same crop asks for different calls in different places. That international range carried her into Slater Run Vineyards in Upperville, Virginia, USA, where she became winemaker, and later into Gabriele Rausse Winery in Virginia, USA. Today, Katell is winemaker of Chateau Kalian, with a background shaped by both transatlantic work and the day-to-day accountability of named estates.
Today
On Virginia wine, Griaud has said: "With my husband, we are sometimes calling Virginia wine industry the \"Wild West.\"" That line reads less as metaphor than as working shorthand. In Griaud’s career, the inheritance is French, the training is technical, and the practice is anchored in specific wineries and harvests. The result is a body of work built through repeated cellar responsibility, not through abstraction.
Signature
Katell's signature wines include Roots, Cabernet Franc Reserve, No Sulfites added Merlot, and orange Viognier fermented on skins. The range points to a winemaker working across structure and texture, with attention to both restraint and variation in style.
In Their Words “With my husband, we are sometimes calling Virginia wine industry the "Wild West.”
Recognition
Recognition for Griaud is formal and technical. She holds the Diplôme National d’Oenologue and a Master’s in Oenologie et Environnement Viti-Vinicole, credentials that connect cellar work, vineyard environment, and oenological science. Those qualifications sit alongside experience in Michel Rolland’s laboratory, harvests in France and New Zealand, and winemaking posts in Virginia and Monbazillac. The through-line is not a single place, but a career built across family land, study, and hands-on production.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Katell
What is Katell Griaud's current role?
As of 2026, Katell Griaud is Winemaker.
Where did Katell Griaud work before?
Katell Griaud's earlier career included Bordeaux, France and New Zealand, and Slater Run Vineyards.
What recognition has Katell Griaud received?
Diplôme National d’Oenologue.
