BEST PINOT NOIR
M CCARTER CELLARS
By Ismael Ramos
W hen one thinks of the North Bay, what often comes to mind is: Wine Country Destination. In an area known worldwide for its variety of wines and vineyards, it can be challenging to stand out among the competition. Yet, McCarter Cellars has been able to do just that. This year McCarter Cellars earned the title of Best Pinot Noir in the 2025 Best of the North Bay readers’ poll, and tacked on a second-place Gold award for its rose. Founder and winemaker Dennis McCarter believes several factors contributed to the winery’s readers’ poll success. “The amount of time I’ve been making wine, the amount of awards garnered, community involvement and diversity in industry,” tallies McCarter. “We strive for premium level wines using different oak treatments and are willing to experiment with varietals.” Adds McCarter: “Like the music I play, I put some soul into the cellar.” McCarter started making wine as a hobby in his garage in 2017. This passive interest rapidly became an obsession that hasn’t stopped—even after becoming a pro winemaker
Dennis McCarter has parlayed his winemaking hobby into an award-winning career.
in 2022. In McCarter Cellars’ first three years of official production, it has collected numerous awards for its world class wines. According to the winery’s website, it has always been Dennis McCarter’s dream to produce extraordinary wines from Sonoma County. “Thanks to the depth and flavor of locally grown Sonoma County grapes, our winery now specializes in the production of ultra-premium wines that showcase the remarkable quality of the region.” The legacy of Sonoma County can be found in the McCarter Cellar wines—especially in its pinot noir. Pinot noir has been around since the 14th century—so what could McCarter Cellars possibly be doing to make its pinot so unique and innovative? “[We] experiment with different varietals and different oaks, different methods, whole clusters of oaks to add layers of texture and blend,” says McCarter. “Winemaking is largely the same today as it was 1,000 years ago. Each winemaker puts a part of themself into their wine and that is where the creativity in winemaking lives.” With hints of cotton candy, pomegranate, raspberry and a delicate
touch of baking spice, this award-winning pinot noir is perfect for all levels of wine enthusiast, and a great introduction to McCarter Cellars and what it has to offer. This year McCarter Cellars has won two first place awards in the Best of the North Bay readers’ poll. The winery earned the title of Best Pinot Noir and Dennis McCarter secured the title of Best Winemaker. [See p. 27] McCarter believes people would be surprised to learn his winery is one of the few black-owned wineries in the United States. “Out of 10,000 wineries in the U.S. less than 1% are black owned. But that is not the reason I got into the industry. I have a passion for wine and the industry that drew me in.” Though it might not be the reason he got into the industry, he doesn’t shy away from using his platform to help bridge connections between communities. To learn more about Dennis McCarter and his plans to create innovative wines, as well as his plans to help support local communities, visit mccartercellars.com . v mccartercellars.com
24 Northbaybiz
Best of the North Bay 2025
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