Carhartt Family Wines and Carhartt Venture are two distinct labels produced by the Carhartt family. Read on to learn the unique story behind each of our brands.
Carhartt Family Wines is a brand that encompasses a multi-vineyard farming operation and produces a wide variety of wines, while still remaining intimate and direct-to-consumer. It is truly family-operated, as we invest in and support the family identity in every aspect of our business.
Although we take inspiration from around the globe, our roots are deeply planted on the central coast of California.
Whether “Grown, Produced, and Bottled”, or just “Produced and Bottled”, we do absolutely everything on Rancho Santa Ynez™, from growing fruit, making wine, ageing wine, storing our bottled goods, and shipping across the country. This is the ranch where Mike Carhartt grew up cowboying and farming, and where the entire family still lives and works to this day.
The varietal/wine name is written in two forms. One in script to reference the hand-made aspect of all of our wines, and the other at the base of the C. This base comes to a point below the animal weathervane, representing the barns on our property that support the various weathervanes on our ranch.
The Carhartt Cattle brand was registered in 1969 by Jack Carhartt, and re-registered by Mike Carhartt in the late 90s. Although we have never used our brand at the scale of large ranches nationwide, it has continued to have great significance at our ranch and winery. Every new slab of concrete, every picking and fermenting bin, even as decoration at the top of our communal wood-fired BBQ, the brand thrives. It serves as a reminder of where we’ve come from, and how we will carry ourselves moving forward: work with intention and craft with heart.
This “C” emblem accompanied by the three signatures represents The Carhartt Family’s promise of a quality product. Being family owned and operated, we have the opportunity to ensure consistency and control from ground to glass.
The animals on our labels represent the weathervanes that adorn every building on Rancho Santa Ynez™, the property where we live, farm and make our wine.
All wines with grapes grown outside of Carhartt’s Rancho Santa Ynez™ property will say “Sustainably Farmed,” as we purchase fruit from farmers who utilize practices that give back to the soil what we take (e.g., regular soil amendments or planting nitrogen-fixing crops in the off-season).
This differs from our Estate wines, which will say “regeneratively farmed,” because we not only include sustainable farming practices but a mix of organic and biodynamic tactics, too. Some of these include soil amendments to help build and regenerate our overall underground biome, water amendments to alleviate adverse elemental buildup, and absolutely no pesticides or herbicide use.
We make wine with the least intervention possible. Fining and filtration are usually used to either help wines become more polished, both visually and from a sensory standpoint, as well as help create a “shelf-stable” product. At Carhartt, we are fortunate to not only grow and make wines that we feel don’t need additional polishing, but also sell our product 100% direct-to-consumer. This means that our wines may not be able to withstand huge temperature swings, and you might find a bit of sediment at the bottom of an older red, but rest assured, this is wine in its purest form, with as little manipulation possible.
Carhartt Family Wines is a brand that encompasses a multi-vineyard farming operation and produces a wide variety of wines, while still remaining intimate and direct-to-consumer. It is truly family-operated, as we invest in and support the family identity in every aspect of our business.
Although we take inspiration from around the globe, our roots are deeply planted on the central coast of California.
Whether “Grown, Produced, and Bottled”, or just “Produced and Bottled”, we do absolutely everything on Rancho Santa Ynez™, from growing fruit, making wine, ageing wine, storing our bottled goods, and shipping across the country. This is the ranch where Mike Carhartt grew up cowboying and farming, and where the entire family still lives and works to this day.
The varietal/wine name is written in two forms. One in script to reference the hand-made aspect of all of our wines, and the other at the base of the C. This base comes to a point below the animal weathervane, representing the barns on our property that support the various weathervanes on our ranch.
The Carhartt Cattle brand was registered in 1969 by Jack Carhartt, and re-registered by Mike Carhartt in the late 90s. Although we have never used our brand at the scale of large ranches nationwide, it has continued to have great significance at our ranch and winery. Every new slab of concrete, every picking and fermenting bin, even as decoration at the top of our communal wood-fired BBQ, the brand thrives. It serves as a reminder of where we’ve come from, and how we will carry ourselves moving forward: work with intention and craft with heart.
This “C” emblem accompanied by the three signatures represents The Carhartt Family’s promise of a quality product. Being family owned and operated, we have the opportunity to ensure consistency and control from ground to glass.
The animals on our labels represent the weathervanes that adorn every building on Rancho Santa Ynez™, the property where we live, farm and make our wine.
All wines with grapes grown outside of Carhartt’s Rancho Santa Ynez™ property will say “Sustainably Farmed,” as we purchase fruit from farmers who utilize practices that give back to the soil what we take (e.g., regular soil amendments or planting nitrogen-fixing crops in the off-season).
This differs from our Estate wines, which will say “regeneratively farmed,” because we not only include sustainable farming practices but a mix of organic and biodynamic tactics, too. Some of these include soil amendments to help build and regenerate our overall underground biome, water amendments to alleviate adverse elemental buildup, and absolutely no pesticides or herbicide use.
We make wine with the least intervention possible. Fining and filtration are usually used to either help wines become more polished, both visually and from a sensory standpoint, as well as help create a “shelf-stable” product. At Carhartt, we are fortunate to not only grow and make wines that we feel don’t need additional polishing, but also sell our product 100% direct-to-consumer. This means that our wines may not be able to withstand huge temperature swings, and you might find a bit of sediment at the bottom of an older red, but rest assured, this is wine in its purest form, with as little manipulation possible.
Formerly Carhartt Vineyard (est. 1996), Carhartt Family Wines was launched in April of 2021 after three years of developing the branding and accessory components. The Carhartt Family Wines brand encompasses the farming of three separate estate vineyards and a quiver of wines hailing from Rancho Santa Ynez™ and other local vineyards.
Developed by Brooke Carhartt in the late 90’s, the Label’s winemaking style revolves around beautifully consistent and lively yet delicate examples of our varietals and blends. Click through our interactive label to get details about the most important aspects of the label.
The V in the Venture label represents the Venture into new experiences in style and wine led by Chase Carhartt – the 5th generation in the Carhartt family line.
Chase traveled to South Africa for his first harvest abroad in 2010, then again in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Here, he crafted top drawer Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards heavily influenced by a cool, maritime climate. In 2019, alongside Storm Wines S.A., he made the first vintage of “Cargaux” – wines produced and bottled in South Africa and distributed in the U.S.A.
In 2012, Chase ventured to the Northern Rhone Valley of France to work with Yves Cuilleron, learning Syrah, Viognier, and traditional Rose winemaking techniques. He also got to harvest distinguished vineyards shaped by a variety of unique terroirs.
In 2015, Chase made his way to Tasmania to work with Stefano Lubiana, just north of Hobart. Here, he worked with biodynamic and organic grapes to produce cool-climate and world-class sparkling wines.
In 2017, Chase continued his work with biodynamic and organic grapes, this time at Bodega Chacra in Patagonia, Argentina. Here, he once again made Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, studying warmer, high desert grape-growing techniques.
Starting with his first full-time harvest at Carhartt in 2013, Chase continues to make wine alongside his mother, Brooke, and grow grapes with his dad, Mike. The Santa Ynez Valley is not only where Chase calls home, but also a source of inspiration as he furthers his own unique style in grape growing and winemaking.
The V in the Venture label represents the Venture into new experiences in style and wine led by Chase Carhartt – the 5th generation in the Carhartt family line.
Chase traveled to South Africa for his first harvest abroad in 2010, then again in 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Here, he crafted top drawer Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from vineyards heavily influenced by a cool, maritime climate. In 2019, alongside Storm Wines S.A., he made the first vintage of “Cargaux” – wines produced and bottled in South Africa and distributed in the U.S.A.
In 2012, Chase ventured to the Northern Rhone Valley of France to work with Yves Cuilleron, learning Syrah, Viognier, and traditional Rose winemaking techniques. He also got to harvest distinguished vineyards shaped by a variety of unique terroirs.
In 2015, Chase made his way to Tasmania to work with Stefano Lubiana, just north of Hobart. Here, he worked with biodynamic and organic grapes to produce cool-climate and world-class sparkling wines.
In 2017, Chase continued his work with biodynamic and organic grapes, this time at Bodega Chacra in Patagonia, Argentina. Here, he once again made Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, studying warmer, high desert grape-growing techniques.
Starting with his first full-time harvest at Carhartt in 2013, Chase continues to make wine alongside his mother, Brooke, and grow grapes with his dad, Mike. The Santa Ynez Valley is not only where Chase calls home, but also a source of inspiration as he furthers his own unique style in grape growing and winemaking.
Carhartt Family Wines ‘Venture’ Label launched in 2016 as a response to Chase’s ongoing travels and work experiences abroad. Through each of his international harvests, Chase studied and adopted various winemaking methods and styles, which are often realized with each Venture release.
The Venture label is our more “progressive” label, allowing us to push the boundaries of tradition and revel in the surprises that unfold. The wines are a blank canvas – a departure from the beautifully consistent Carhartt Family Wines label. Like every vintage, Venture wines are ever-changing.
Venture’s physical label depicts an old world map. Areas highlighted in pink show where Chase Carhartt has either made wine or traveled to. Chase feels that each country and place shaped him into the winemaker and person he is today.
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