Winemaker, Chalone Vineyard
Native Texan Greg Freeman’s expansive background combines long-standing interests in art and science with twenty years of Monterey County winemaking.
After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Chemistry from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, Greg moved to Crested Butte, Colorado. It was here that his earliest interest in wine emerged as he worked as a backcountry snowmobile guide by day and chef by night.
Greg returned to his background in science next working in scientific laboratories in his native Houston, Santa Fe and New Orleans. While working in the labs, Freeman continued to hold bartending and restaurant positions in New Orleans where he became responsible for private events with fine wine collectors. Increasingly fascinated by the combination of science and art, Freeman’s official wine career began with the opportunity from Hahn to improve the winery’s lab capabilities in 2003. Greg quickly progressed to Winemaker where he was involved with multiple brands, including: Hahn Winery, Hahn SLH, Lucienne, Smith & Hook, Boneshaker, Cycles Gladiator, Rex Goliath, and Huntington. Freeman credits his development as a winemaker to working closely with Nicholas Hahn and Paul Clifton, Director of Winemaking at Hahn.
Since 2017, Greg has held positions as Winemaker for Georis/Cowgirl Winery in Carmel Valley, California and Messina Hof Winery in Bryan, Texas. He joined Chalone Vineyard in 2021, bringing two decades of Monterey winemaking to bear as he writes the latest chapter in the winery’s storied history.
A lifelong musician who once toured with an African dance band, Greg currently lives in Carmel Valley with his teenage daughter where he can occasionally be spotted playing his bagpipes on the beach.