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
Cassie comes to Roche Winery with a wealth of experience at small production wineries crafting Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Her journey into winemaking began during her time at Santa Rosa Junior College, where a spark of curiosity led her to switch majors from biology to enology. Drawn to the blend of science, outdoor work and rich history in winemaking, she gained experience by working harvests locally before transferring to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo to complete her enology degree. Cassie’s path reflects a strong dedication to the tradition of winemaking and commitment to honing her craft across renowned producers and diverse regions.
Cassie’s first experience working harvest took place at Furthermore Wines in Sebastopol, under the mentorship of Erica Stancliff—a relationship that continues to guide her today. She expanded her experience through harvests at Stephen Ross Wine Cellars, Duckhorn Vineyards in St. Helena, and Torbreck Vintners in Australia’s Barossa Valley. Cassie made her way back to Northern California where she joined Cirq/Chev and Trombetta Family Wines for their harvests. She then spent a few years managing Region, a wine bar in Sebastopol, but readily admits the pull of harvest never left her, so she returned to cellar work at Three Sticks Wines and joined Roche Winery shortly thereafter.
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.