From $1M Napa Vines to Reviving an Aussie Icon: Meet World-Class Winemaker Chris Carpenter

Chris Carpenter is one of Napa Valley’s most accomplished and philosophically driven winemakers, best known for crafting some of California’s most prestigious mountain Cabernet Sauvignons under the Jackson Family Wines portfolio, including Cardinale, La Jota, Lokoya, and Mt. Brave. He also leads the winemaking for the Hickinbotham Clarendon Vineyard project in McLaren Vale, Australia—bringing his mountain terroir expertise to a site he considers among the world’s great vineyards.

Originally from Chicago, Chris holds a degree in Biology and began his career in the hospitality world as a bartender. He pivoted to winemaking in the mid-1990s, enrolling at UC Davis in 1995 to study viticulture and enology. Since then, he has developed a global reputation for wines that express purity, place, and power—with a particular passion for Merlot and Cabernet Franc. His work consistently balances richness and structure with freshness and energy, a stylistic hallmark influenced in part by his experiences working in both California and South Australia.

Chris is deeply engaged in the ongoing challenges of climate change and site adaptation, overseeing vineyards at high altitudes and cooler locations to preserve balance and finesse in his wines. His articulate metaphors—likening blending to conducting an orchestra—reflect a thoughtful, almost artistic approach to winemaking.

At Hickinbotham, he has helped rejuvenate a historic site once used in Penfolds Grange and Eileen Hardy bottlings, transforming it into a modern icon for cool-climate, high-altitude McLaren Vale Cabernet and Cabernet blends. Working with local legends like Peter Fraser and Michael Lane, Carpenter has elevated the vineyard’s standing while bringing new attention to Australian Cabernet at the highest level

In this conversation, Chris joins us at Different Drop to talk about:
– Why Hickinbotham is “one of the great vineyards in the world”
– How ancient Clarendon soils are pushing his winemaking in new directions
– The inside story of The Peak Cabernet Shiraz and what it means to blend like an Aussie
– And yes, what he really thinks about Sideways and the Merlot revival

00:00 – Intro & Banter
01:30 – Vintage Conditions & Climate Change
03:00 – From Bartender to Winemaker
05:00 – Howell Mountain & Merlot’s Identity
07:30 – Oak Philosophy: The Louvre Analogy
09:00 – The Sideways Effect on Merlot
10:30 – Blending Napa: Cardinale’s Philosophy
13:00 – Australian Lessons, Napa Evolution
15:30 – Soloists vs Symphony: La Jota vs Cardinale
17:30 – Mount Veeder & Napa’s Geography Flip
19:30 – Why Hickinbotham Matters
23:00 – Ancient Soils & Own-Rooted Vines
25:30 – Cabernet Shiraz: Aussie Tradition, Napa Curiosity
27:30 – Planting Malbec & Franc at Hickinbotham
29:30 – The Aussie Team Behind the Wines
31:30 – The $1,100 Bottle That Sparked The Peak

From Howell Mountain to the Vaca Range, Mount Veeder to McLaren Vale—this is a global masterclass in mountain terroir, energy in wine, and what it means to make bottles that move you.

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