Estate Winemaking

Estate Winemaking

Uncovering the highest potential of a single Estate terroir is largely an exercise in humility and patient observation, as the vines reveal their strengths and needs over many seasons.

Thoughtful Craftsmanship

Thoughtful Craftsmanship

Our winemaking philosophy at Center of Effort is to honor the natural character of our fruit, employing thoughtful craftsmanship to coax our wines into true expressions of our special terroir. There is nothing expedient in our approach.  We embrace the detailed, labor-intensive methods required to make the finest wines.  Our wines are fermented and aged in small lots, always with a gentle touch, and frequently relying on experienced intuition to guide our decisions.

All our fruit is Estate-grown and hand-picked in the cool of the early morning hours.  It is delivered to the winery intact and cold for immediate sorting and processing. We emphasize native fermentations, favoring the vineyard’s natural yeasts over commercial strains.  While native fermentations are more challenging, we believe they allow us to achieve layers of textural depth that have become a hallmark of our wines.

Iteration and experimentation continually add to our understanding of our site. Over time, we have adopted several specific techniques as part of our winegrowing and winemaking.

Team Approach

Team Approach

It requires a talented and dedicated team to negotiate the thousands of details and decisions required to achieve consistently excellent wines.

The winemaking operations at Center of Effort are led by Nathan Carlson, a veteran Edna Valley winemaker, who has worked with our estate vineyards since 2008.  His experience over this time with the soil, climate, and character of each parcel of our vines has led to a quiet confidence in the ultimate results of our winemaking actions or restraint.

In addition to Nathan, Winemaker, Kevin Bargetto, is an integral part of the team. Kevin grew up in a winegrowing family in the Santa Cruz mountains, and studied Enology at Cal Poly.  He began as an intern, but his talent quickly was apparent.  After working harvests in Australia, and New Zealand, Kevin returned as our Associate Winemaker and eventually promoted to Winemaker. 

Each year, we bring on several interns and temporary winery workers to help us through vintage.  They contribute their own energy, observations, and efforts to our production, and leave lasting impression on both the wines and the team at Center of Effort.  It is one of our greatest privileges to be a part of their early careers, and to watch them move on to success and accomplishment in our industry.  Wherever they go, they always remain a part of Center of Effort.