Carte Blanche

Carte Blanche is a lesser known winery in Napa valley. And there is no reason for that, as they use some of the best vineyards, the quality of their wines is high and the story behind it is very interesting.

History
Carte Blanche was founded by Nicholas Allen in 2007, who comes from a family deeply rooted in the wine business. His great grandfather, Clarence Dillon, bought Bordeaux’s famous Château Haut-Brion in 1935, and Nicholas brings that Bordeaux legacy to Napa.

He started Carte Blanche with a goal: blending old-world heritage and new-world innovation. Early on, Luc Morlet helped shape the wines from 2008 through 2013, and since 2014, winemaker Helen Keplinger has led the estate's winemaking, helping the brand build its distinct style. The winery has focused on making wines that respect the vineyards and terroir, keeping quantities limited to ensure quality over quantity.​

The Vineyards
Carte Blanche’s property is about 50 acres, spanning two well-known Napa sub-appellations: Spring Mountain and St. Helena. While no grapes are currently commercially planted on the estate’s land, they work closely with premium vineyard sites across Northern California. Notably, they source Chardonnay from the UV Vineyard in Sonoma’s West County, a site known for cool climate fruit near the Pacific Ocean.

For Pinot Noir, they rely on the Sun Chase Vineyard in the Petaluma Gap of Sonoma, sourcing the grapes from different elevations. Their Merlot, used in the wine called The Mark, comes from Blackbird Vineyards in Napa’s Oak Knoll District, a top Merlot site. In Napa, the team also works with the Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper Vineyard, a well known top vineyard site for Cabernet. Carte Blanche is known for combining fruit from a variety of stellar sites to produce their wines.​

The Terroir
Carte Blanche’s diverse sourcing means their wines express a range of terroirs. The UV Vineyard is cool and foggy from the nearby Pacific, resulting in bright, crisp Chardonnay. The Petaluma Gap, with its varied elevations and cool winds, gives their Pinot Noir the needed balance and right freshness, with lots of fruity flavors. Oak Knoll’s warmer climate produces plush, ripe Merlot. The Beckstoffer Missouri Hopper site in Napa is well-drained, gravelly, and sunny—perfect for powerful Cabernet Sauvignon with firm structure. This mix of climates, soils, and elevations gives Carte Blanche wines complexity and the right balance.

Way of Winemaking
The wines at Carte Blanche are produced wit traditional and modern techniques and methods, with a focus on minimal intervention. Fermentation is done mostly with native yeasts, and different clones and vineyard lots are fermented separately to maintain individuality.

Red wines are aged in French oak barrels, about 40% new. About 30% whole cluster fermentation is sometimes used for Pinot Noir, to add complexity. Whites see lees aging, but avoid heavy oak influence.

Carte Blanche emphasizes on small batch production and careful blending to create balanced, expressive wines that reflects diverse vineyards.​

3 Fun Facts
Carte Blanche’s UV Vineyard Chardonnay has only been part of their lineup since 2015, but it’s already prized for its elegant cool-climate character and is also sold to other top producers.

The winery is part of Napa’s Vintner’s Collective, an exclusive tasting room that features a tight selection of quality-focused local brands, many without their own standalone tasting rooms.

The name "Carte Blanche" reflects the freedom the winemaker has to blend and create wines inspired by both the heritage of Bordeaux and the terroirs of Northern California.​