Carter Cellars’ winemaking begins with the best grapes from world-renowned vineyard sources. The cultivation of these grapes is an arduous process which includes limiting vine yields, beneficial trellising techniques, integrating pest management in the vineyard and harvesting completely by hand. All of this ensures that the grapes we use are optimal for creating our limited production, high quality wines.

Our practices in the Winery are just as exacting. First the small lots of grapes brought into the Winery are hand sorted to remove any that are not up to our exacting standards. Next the grapes are pressed gently to extract the pure juice from the perfectly ripe grapes while leaving behind any bitter oils and harsh tannins contained in the seeds or skins. After fermentation the wines are stored in new French Oak barrels for twenty two months.

The winemaking consists of as little intervention as possible, limiting the addition of sulfur and refining the wine through gravity. The wines are allowed to mature and fully integrate with the new oak creating a product that is true to its varietal character and sense of place while having the structure and complexity to age and give pleasure for many years.