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    93 Tb
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    101
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History

The origins of Carter Cellars began in the mid 1980’s when the historic Carter House Victorian was built.  When this small bed and breakfast became too popular for the crowd from the cities up and down the west coast the Hotel Carter was added and a restaurant (the highly regarded Restaurant 301) was needed for the guests.  For the guests at the restaurant Mark Carter began compiling what has become (since 1998) a Wine Spectator Grand Award winning wine list.  He began sourcing the best wines the world had to offer from first growth Bordeaux to the top Napa Cabernet and even the high quality, little-known gems that helped the wine list stand out.  Because of the great recognition of the restaurant and its wine list Mark was able to host winemaker dinners with the likes of Dan Duckhorn and Nils Venge. 

Mark and Nils became fast friends at these dinners while sharing their all encompassing passion for great wines.  Mark wanted to expand his love of wines and start a new age wine label devoid of a brick and mortar facility but sourcing only the best fruit from the most renowned vineyard in Napa.  His goal was to create the best Napa Cabernet that could be made.  Nils Venge, the superstar winemaker responsible for receiving the first “perfect score” on a domestic wine from Robert M. Parker Jr. while at Groth in 1985, seemed like the perfect match on this quest for perfection.

 

Carter Cellars first vintage was in 1998 sourcing grapes from the steeply terraced Coliseum Block of the Hossfeld Vineyard.  In continuing to source wine from top Napa vineyards Mark and Nils made a svelte Fortuna Block Cabernet from the ancient red volcanic soils of the Fortuna Vineyard in 1999.  In 2000 Carter Cellars began a long and deeply rewarding relationship with the most iconic vineyard in the western hemisphere: the Beckstoffer portion of the original To Kalon Vineyard in Oakville.  Thus began the rise of the famed and highly rated Carter Cellars Beckstoffer To Kalon Cabernet, a wine that to this day continues to receive top scores from critics worldwide.  

In 2001 Carter Cellars deviated from solely making large and powerful Cabernet when they acquired Merlot fruit from the Truchard Vineyard in Carneros.  This vineyard has varied soils and a marine-influenced climate which makes the ripe and rounded fruit which goes into our lush and ultra-premium Merlot.  In 2004 Carter Cellars expanded again when they began sourcing Cabernet fruit from the Revilo Vineyard in St Helena right next door to some of the highest rated Napa Cabernet and farmed by Reg Oliver of El Molino.  The Revilo Vineyard fruit makes for large and austere Cabernet with incredibly smooth tannins which benefit from some bottle age and will greatly reward those with the patience for fine wines.  

Mark and Nils began looking for a permanent home for Carter Cellars and for a small Napa Winery at which they could produce wines from estate grown fruit.  In 2006 they founded Envy Winery on Tubbs Lane in Calistoga.  This 17 acre property would specialize in Estate grown Merlot, Cabernet and Petite Sirah and would become the new home of Carter Cellars.  

In 2006 Carter Cellars expanded again.  Still with an extremely small case production they made the Hossfeld Red Blend also from the Hossfeld Vineyard in Soda Canyon.  This Predominately Merlot blend contains Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Verdot and is modeled on one of Mark’s Favorites: Chateau Petrus with a uniquely Californian side.

In 2012 Carter Cellars added two additional exciting Cabernets vineyards to the portofilo: the Weitz Vineyard and Beckstofffer Las Piedras Vineyard. Long considered one of the gems of Turnbull Wine Cellars vineyard holdings, the Weitz Vineyard, also known as the Leopoldina Vineyard, sits on 62 glorious acres high on the Oakville Bench. The fruit from the vineyard is renowned for its profound structure, elegant rich texture and lingering acidity and minerality. The Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard is a historic vineyard in the St. Helena AVA. Roughly translated to the stones or little pebbles, the vineyard sits at the base of Sulfur Creek on the southwest outskirts of St. Helena. Riddled with rocks, the soil is porous and provides ideal support for the vines and when matched with excellent farming techniques, the result is remarkable dense and concentrated fruit.

As Carter Cellars continues to create amazing wines from some of the best vineyard sites in Napa and Envy begins to receive recognition for its high quality hand crafted wines Mark finds his time increasingly split between his Hotel/Restaurant, the inspiration for his love of wine and pursuit of perfection and the Vineyard and Winery which requires much attention.  At this point Mark has one of the longest commutes around, generally making the drive from Napa to Eureka every other week.  He does this happily knowing that it is this kind of dedication and constant attention to detail that brings satisfaction to those who drink his wine and enjoy his hospitality.

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Vineyards

Carter Cellars currently sources grapes from multiple blocks in four exceptional vineyards in Napa Valley: Beckstoffer's famous To Kalon vineyard in Oakville; Hossfeld's Coliseum Block, a small, steep vineyard in Soda Canyon on the east side of Napa Valley; Turnbull's prized Weitz Vineyard on the Oakville Bench; and Beckstoffer's Las Piedras vineyard in the St Helena AVA.

 

Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard

 The Beckstoffer portion of the historic original To Kalon Vineyard in the Oakville AVA was purchased from     Beaulieu Vineyard in 1993. Beaulieu had purchased the property from the Crabb estate in 1940 and called it their Beaulieu Vineyard No. 4. Napa Pioneer Hamilton Crabb first planted the vineyard in 1868 and it has produced some of the Napa Valley's best red grapes ever since. Replanted after phylloxera by Beckstoffer from 1994 to 1997 to multiple clones of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc with modern trellising and closer vine spacing, the vineyard produces several luxury award winning vineyard designated wines. These vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon wines include Schrader Cellars, Paul Hobbs, Tor, Realm and of course, Carter Cellars.

 

Hossfeld Vineyards - The Coliseum

 Twenty years ago people thought Henry Hossfeld was crazy because of the slope and the solid rock he was trying to grow vines on in the south-eastern Napa hills in an area known as Soda Canyon.  In fact, at planting, each vine hole was fractured into the terraces with a stick of dynamite. This dramatic site, steep and terraced like a Roman Coliseum has distinctive volcanic soils and as such, the resulting Cabernet fruit is also quite distinctive; structured graphite and herbal scented, compelling flavors. Today, we reap wines with massive fruit extraction, inky black color, and powerful tannins.

 

Weitz Vineyard

 Long considered one of the gems in Turnbull Wine Callar's vineyard portfolio, the Weitz Vineyard, also known as the Leopoldina Vineyard, sits on 62 glorious acres high on the Oakville Bench above some of the most famous vineyards in the world. Characterized by fractured volcanic rocks and degraded boulders, the scarcity of soil forces the vines to struggle and naturally controls fruit production. The fruit itself is renowned for its profound structure, elegant rich texture and lingering acidity and minerality. We are proud to join such notable wineries like the Maybach Family to source fruit out of this remarkable vineyard.

 

Beckstoffer Las Piedras Vineyard

 Dating back to the Mexican land grants, the Las Piedras vineyard is considered to be the first vineyard planted in what is now the St. Helena AVA. In 1983 Beckstoffer Vineyards purchased the property and planted it to two clones of Cabernet Sauvignon with modern trellising. Impressed with the quality of the gravelly soil, the farm workers named the vineyard Las Piedras, which means the stones or little pebbles. The vineyard sits at the base of Sulfur Creek on the southwest outskirts of St. Helena. With a gentle slope, the site belongs to the fan-shaped flood plain created by run-off from Sulfur creek and the hillsides above. Riddled with rocks, the soil is porous and provides ideal support for the vines and when matched with excellent farming techniques, the result is remarkable dense and concentrated fruit. 

 

Fortuna Vineyard

In Oakville, this 59 acre site on Napa Valley's floor has ancient red volcanic soils and alluvial cobblestone from the adjoining Vaca Mountain Range. Off the Silverado Trail, this unique sloping bench produces spicy fruit with tannic backbone and then combines with the tell-tale dust that have made Napa Valley Oakville Cabernets so famous. Long considered the jewel in Trunbull Wine Cellar's vineyard portofolio, the 2010 Trunbull Fortuna Cabernet garnered a perfect 100 point score from Robert Parker.

 

 

Revilo Vineyard

Revilo Vineyard is located off of Silverado Trail by the Meadowood Resort and a stone’s throw away from some of St. Helena’s famous vineyards.  Its clayey soil was farmed and named after Reg Oliver, (Revilo backwards), the owner of El Molino Winery who passed away in 2004. While you might know of El Molino for their stellar Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, Reg did an incredible job farming his Cabernet vineyard, and his daughter Lily continues the tradition.  Their efforts helped pave the way for Carter Cellar's great success with the Revilo label.

 

 

Truchard Vineyards

Truchard Vineyards was established in 1974, when Tony and Jo Ann Truchard came to the Carneros region of the Napa Valley and purchased a 20 acre parcel of land. They transformed what was an abandoned prune orchard into a vineyard and began selling the fruit to a local winery. Through hard work and dedication they quickly developed a reputation as one of the outstanding vineyards in Carneros. Over the past 40 years the Truchard Estate Vineyard has grown to 400 acres, of which 270 acres are planted. The Truchards now sell grapes to more than 20 premiere Napa Valley wineries. The Truchard Estate Vineyard is a series of hills and valleys, which contain a variety of soils: clay, shale, sandstone, volcanic rock and ash. The various combinations of terrain, geology, and marine-moderated temperatures provide unique winegrowing conditions.

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Winemaking

Carter Cellars’ winemaking begins with the simple idea of matching the best grapes from world-renowned vineyard sources with the unmistakable "purist" talents of our winemaker, Mike Smith. Mike started his winemaking journey under the tutelage of Thomas Brown at Schrader Cellars in 2001. Traveling from Portland Oregon, Mike worked each crush "free of charge" to learn the craft. Following his third harvest, Mike accepted a full-time assistant position from Thomas and moved his family to St. Helena. During this tenure, Mike was able to work with a vast array of wine labels including Schrader, Maybach Family, and Rivers Marie. It was during this period that Mike was able to articulate his own philosophies on wine making based on the strong foundation he received while working on these established labels and his own labels, Myriad Cellars, Quivet and ancillary cellars. To quote Mike, "My philosophy is simple: I like to create the most natural and expressive wines California can offer. I believe in allowing the fruit to fully reveal itself in the wines, encouraging the personality and terroir of the vineyards, while showcasing itself to the fullest extent. This allows the wines to be true to their nature and brings harmony in the bottle."

 

Under Mike's watchful eye and in collaboration with our various vineyard sources, the cultivation of our grapes is an arduous dance which includes limiting vine yields, beneficial trellising techniques, integrating pest management in the vineyard and harvesting completely by hand at the peak moment of ripeness. 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. The small lots of grapes brought into the Winery are hand sorted to remove any that are not up to our exacting standards. Then 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 French Oak, creating a product that is true to its varietal character and sense of place.

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13 different wines with 59 vintages

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