Michael Carr

Winemaker

If you were to ask our winemaker, Michael Carr, what his secrets are to making such fantastic wine here at Roche, one answer he would provide is “knowing the family’s lands, our unique growing conditions and changing weather patterns…all of these are fundamental.” Michael has gained that experience due to a long history with our winery and working with our vineyards. In fact, he served as our Assistant Winemaker for eight years from 1991 until 1998, before becoming our full-time Winemaker in the Fall of 2002. During his five-year stint away from Carneros, he gained valuable knowledge on how to establish winery operations from the “ground up” while with MacRostie Winery in Sonoma, California. He also perfected his winemaking and vineyard management skills while producing Gold Medal award-winning wines with San Juan Vineyards on San Juan Island in Washington.

No small task, Michael oversees all aspects of winemaking at Roche. From picking to bottling, his influence can be seen in every glass of Roche wine poured. His skills and knowledge allow us to continue to deliver the highest of quality wines.

Michael brings with him a positive, relaxed attitude. When not thrown into the chaos of harvest, he often can be found touring our vineyards or inspecting our production equipment with his trusted canine sidekick, Jacie. During baseball season, you’re always sure to hear the Giants games on full volume inside our barrel room, which is why we think Michael’s wines are always a grand slam for your dinner table.

Michael has won numerous awards and medals while at Roche Winery.

Michael has a Bachelor’s degree in enology from U.C. Davis and resides in nearby Marin County with his wife, Terra, and children, Jack and Daniella.

Cassie Estes

Assistant Winemaker

Ned Hill

Vineyard Manager

Having been immersed in Sonoma Valley grape growing since his father planted his fist vineyard in 1979, Ned brings to Roche Winery a lifetime knowledge of Carneros and its world-famous Sonoma Valley terroir. Ned and his wife Erika’s vineyard management company, La Prenda Vineyard Management, oversees the farming of 900 acres of vineyards in Sonoma Valley and Carneros, including Roche Winery’s 50-acres of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Ned was instrumental in the planting of these vineyards and he works closely with Roche winemaker Michael Carr and Brendan Roche to ensure the quality of this vineyard’s fruit to achieve the same year-after-year consistency of Roche Wines. This comes easy for Ned, as Brendan Roche and Ned grew up together in Sonoma Valley, and Michael has worked with Ned for many years in sourcing fruit beyond the Roche estate. While this team works extremely hard each year to maintain the quality of Roche wines, it is Ned’s great sense of humor out in the vineyards that makes this more “fun” than work for Brendan and Michael.

Winemaking