As one of Temecula's finest family owned wineries, Stuart Cellars opened its doors with one goal - to make quality wine we can proudly share with friends. Towards this endeavor, we've adopted many of the rich wine making traditions of the Old World, all the while maintaining a familiar California style. Throughout the winemaking process, Stuart Cellars maintains a vigilant adherence to quality, which starts in the vineyard and ends in your glass. Our 1999 harvest was the first from our 40 acre Estate Vineyard - planted in the French tradition of north to south. This method allows the grapes to ripen evenly on both sides of the vines giving consistency to the fruit. As well, during the hottest part of the day when the sun is at its solstice, the fruit is protected by the vine's canopy. Consequently, our vines can produce almost 20% more fruit - but by thinning the additional fruit, the vines direct increased energy into the remaining grapes. The result is superior quality grapes with vibrant colors and richer flavors. Thirty six acres of our Estate Vineyard is devoted to Chardonnay (9 acres); Merlot (9 acres); Cabernet Sauvignon (5.5 acres);  Cabernet Franc (5.5 acres) and (6 acres) Zinfandel.  At full capacity our Vineyards are expected to yield approximately 150 tons of grapes which will produce approximately 16,000 cases of the finest wine in Southern California. At harvest, the fruit is carefully placed in small bins, preventing crush damage due to weight that normally occurs when larger bins are used. The result is grapes containing all their natural juices and avoidance of the spoiling effects of oxygen exposure. Our cooler fermentation pulls the fruitiness from the grapes, while our limited production capacity enables Marshall Stuart to carefully monitor the skillfull transformation of grape juice into wine. Our red wines (Zinfandel & Tatria) are fermented in small 4x4 bins, allowing more surface contact with the skins. Our white wines obtain their soft butter-like flavors through the same malolactic fermentation used on our red wines. Good wine must be aged in good barrels. We use both American and French Oak barrels to impart the special qualities and characteristics befitting the particular style of wine produced. Moreover, while the life span of a barrel can be in excess of seven years, at Stuart Cellars it is no more than five.  To the left is a picture of Marshall Stuart checking the wines. Marshall and Susan Stuart founded the winery, along with their three children, Haley, Kendall, and Bradley. A grading contractor by day, Marshall's passion for wine led him to study viticulture and enology (winemaking) through the University of California at Davis. He then apprenticed at Keyways Winery in Temecula, establishing Keyway's red zinfandel program. Shortly thereafter, Stuart Cellars was begun.