Julie Robertson built her winemaking career in an unusual way. A fifth-generation Texan, she grew up near Dallas. After graduating from high school in 2001, she elected to enter the architecture program at Syracuse University in New York because it focused on design (that recognizes the mix of art and technology. This combination may have foreshadowed her eventual career in the art and science of winemaking.

While at Syracuse, she and her roommate joined Julie’s parents for Wine Spectator’s annual wine experience in New York City. An additional factor in defining her interest in the wine industry was spending a year in Florence, Italy, as part of the five-year degree program. In her own words, “[this is] where the food and wine experience came together for me.” Earning her Bachelor of Architecture degree in 2006, she returned to Texas and held two consecutive two-year internships with architectural firms in Dallas.

In early 2009, Julie took a side job at Molto Formaggio, a new gourmet cheese and wine shop in Dallas, and soon became its manager and wine buyer. She held this position for five years, tasted wines from all over the world, and broadened her knowledge of the wine industry by becoming a Certified Sommelier in 2012 and a Certified Specialist of Wine a year later.

A chance journey with friends to Napa in 2014 led Julie to decide to move there a month later. She joined Ladera Vineyards in the Napa Valley as Direct-to-Consumer Representative and Wine Educator and worked in the cellar on her days off. A year later, she became a production assistant at the winery, a position she held for the next two and one-half years. Interspersed with her work at Ladera, Julie completed two stints in New Zealand, first as a harvest intern with Elephant Hill in Hawke’s Bay for the 2016 vintage, and then as winemaking assistant there for the next vintage.

When the family that owned Ladera sold the property in 2016, Julie had plans to work in Burgundy, but these were put aside when she opted to accept an offer to join Pahlmeyer Winery in St. Helena as an assistant winemaker. This provided her with valuable experience in a larger winery that produced high-quality wines and took pride in its collaborative environment. After three years, she moved to Kerr Cellars in Napa in mid-2021 as assistant winemaker, working with the acclaimed winemaker, Helen Keplinger. In mid-2022, Julie was named winemaker for Crocker & Starr Wines in St. Helena, where she will be focusing on Bordeaux varietals. When asked about how her architectural background influences her winemaking, Julie believes it has to do with aesthetics and aesthetic values. When she thinks about winemaking, she designs from an architectural perspective.