About Us

Carina Cellars is the result of an avid wine collector with a dream who meets an accomplished winemaker with a vision. When attorney and businessman David Hardee and winemaker Joey Tensley met in 2002, they were quick to recognize the benefits of combining their passion. With Hardee's talent for business, Tensley's talent for wine making, and a shared belief in only the best, Carina Cellars was born.

Our goal at Carina Cellars is a simple one: to produce top-quality Santa Barbara County Rhône wines that showcase and emphasize terroir above all else. We partner with growers who share our philosophies on farming – a dedication to canopy management, low yields and vine balance. Our winemaking approach is traditional and minimalist. The resulting wines are rich in traditional varietal flavors and aromas - Viogniers full of tropical fruit and spring flowers, dark, spicy Syrahs and intense, blackcurranty Cabernet Sauvignons. Carina Cellars produced only 2,000 cases in 2004, but as Colman Andrews of Saveur magazine writes of Tensley, "Tiny quantities, big talent budding here."

Carina Cellars believes in supporting the community, and is a proud sponsor of the following organizations: