February 8, 2022 – Alessio Carli has taken part in more than 40 grape harvests in his career as a winemaker, but this year, the decision of when to pick came down to his taste buds rather than lab results.
“As I walk in the vineyards I’m always trying the grapes,” he says. “This year, they tasted great, but the reports made no sense. The acidity was all over the place, but the pH was great. So I used my instincts to decide when to harvest rather than going by the numbers. We picked when I thought they tasted best. And once the wine fermented, I could tell I was right.”
The Hollister resident is consulting winemaker to Biltmore Estate, one of the largest East Coast wineries, and when you are trusted to purchase 300 tons of grapes from this year’s harvest, you definitely want it to produce great wine.
But just as important to Carli are the grapes he purchases for his two personal labels Carli Wines and Alicats—named for his daughters Alessia and Catia. For his small-production winery, he searches for the best of the best, making wines that can stand toe to toe with the larger Cienega Valley wineries.
“If I don’t sell it, I have to drink it,” he says. “So I want it to be as good as I can make it.”
Carli was raised in Siena, in the Tuscany region of Italy. Growing up, he had two interests: flying and nature. “Flying lessons were too expensive for my family to afford,” he says, “so I decided to become a farmer.”
Carli spent eight years studying agronomy and enology, working briefly at Siena’s Castagne Winery, before he became an assistant winemaker at Lorenzo de’ Medici winery in Chianti. When his wife Cathy wanted to return to California to be near her parents, Carli came with her.
He had resumes printed and sent them out to every winery he could find and was offered only intern positions. By chance, Sam Sebastiani saw one, called Carli’s home and negotiated terms with Cathy.
The job was at Viansa Winery in Sonoma, founded in 1990, and the vintages that Carli produced under Sebastiani helped to define the concept of Cal-Ital wines, a rebirth of long-neglected Italian varietals that thrived in the California climate such as Muscat Canelli, Dolcetto, Sangiovese, Tocai Friulano and Barbera.
While working at Viansa, Carli met another legendary winemaker, Joseph Gimelli, who was planning his own winery centered around classic Italian wines, Pietra Santa Winery in Cienega Valley. He soon joined Gimelli in the Cienega Valley.
“To make good wine, you have to start at the vineyards,” Carli says. ”Cienega Valley has its own microclimate and its unique soil profile, much different than any other part of California. You lose water very fast, so you have to do more to nurse those grapes. But the grapes have a wonderful flavor, with a minerality and acidity that brings balance to the wine.”
Working at Pietra Santa gave Carli the chance to start making wine for his own labels as well. While he left Pietra Santa in 2016, when the estate was sold to Christian Pillsbury and renamed Eden Rift, he has continued to produce his own wines, leaning heavily on the prestige Italian wines and blends he has made all his life.
“I try to bring an old-world perspective to the new world of California wines,” he says. “I try to make wines that are more restrained and have more finesse in the flavor. I think they drink very well. I want them to pair with anything, with a good acidity that cleanses your palate and enhances your meal.”
While making his favorite varietals like Sangiovese, Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir, his signature wine is a Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot blend called Vinattiere, which Carli translates as “the person who makes the wine.” This beautiful wine was a double-gold winner in the 2020 San Francisco Chronicle wine competition and has a smooth full-bodied presentation of fruit and oak. As you drink it you might imagine that you are walking the vineyards with Carli on a sunny day, tasting the grapes on the vine.
Hollister restaurateur Raul Escareno, met Carli just before he opened Mangia Italian Kitchen.
“The way he approached me was pure respect,” he recalls. “He told me ‘I know you are not ready to buy anything yet, but let me come over and let’s drink some wine.’ They were all great, but his coming to me to share his wines shows me his confidence. Alessio’s wines are impeccable. They never disappoint and they never steer you wrong.”
About the author
Robert Eliason is a documentary photographer and photojournalist and has been based in San Juan Bautista for the last 12 years. Recently he has been doing extensive reporting on the wineries, breweries and specialty food companies of San Benito County, and is documenting the history of the Cienega Valley wine region.
