Making Wine in an Asparagus Shed

November 11, 2022 – In most cellars throughout the Salinas Valley, the words “vin clair” are rarely heard. But at one site in Gonzales, the self-proclaimed “Grape Capital of Monterey County,” this is on everyone’s lips, either literally or substantively. You see, vin clair is the “raw” wine that is Champagne or any Methode Champenoise wine, before it becomes bubbly. This product of primary fermentation is quite acidic and teeth-jarring, and takes a bit of practice to judge. Generally 11% alcohol or below, you’re not swigging this stuff unless you have a steel stomach. Tasting these various vin clairs is done with the future in mind, deciding which might go to a Brut, Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs or Brut Rosé. Learning to “future–taste” takes years of practice. 

When the Caraccioli family started their winery project back in 2006, they probably didn’t expect that focusing on sparkling wine would make them a household name in wineland a mere ten years later.  After all, row crops were their mainstay and everyone who was into vines was chasing after the Pinot Noir phenom.  But staking their reputation and business on sparkling proved a winning strategy. With the growth of their label and popularity, plus an increasing amount of custom crush business courtesy of Greg and Chris Vita, they needed a place with room to grow. And so it came to pass that an asparagus storage shed in Gonzales was converted into a full-fledged winery just in time for the brutal harvest of 2020. It’s a cavernous space, with huge ceilings, and many jacketed tanks chilling their wares. It is here that the magic happens, not just for Caraccioli wines, but for those who use the custom crush services of the father and son Vita consulting team.

I caught up with Greg who was pouring at the Caraccioli Cellars October Club Release Party on a gusty day in Gonzales, just before Halloween. A beautiful display of pumpkins and gourds, some carved with the Caraccioli logo, greeted us as we entered the building, where a band was playing and many stations were serving a plentitude of wines, both sparkling and still.  

We began with a flute of the newly released 2016 Blanc de Blancs, a creamy and delicate burst of candied lemon with the faintest hint of white peach, and a seam of salinity that made it a lovely pairing with the freshly shucked oysters. The 2016 Brut Cuvée is just perfect with anything, and my friends Bob and Susan are particularly enamored of the Brut Rosé, which by the look of the color in most of the glasses around me at that point, was the drink du jour. There is something particularly fetching about the 2021 Pinot Noir rosé, though, especially poured out of those utterly brilliant magnums, which Samantha says they were able to secure for the 2022 vintage as well. Gone will be the 500ml bottle for 2022, though, a victim of glass shortages. A 750ml bottling will replace it. 

There is no denying my fondness for the Escolle Chardonnay. It’s got so much slate and rock and lemony Meursault-ness about it. My friend Bob said he absolutely loves the flavor and texture, but has a hard time identifying what’s in the nose. That’s because it is quite transparently Chardonnay, without being gussied up by lots of new toasty oak and very ripe fruit. Oh, and it has no RS. This is pristine stuff. 

The Caraccioli Club release event was a class act. Exactly the sort of affair one would expect of Gary Pisoni’s legendary, if fictional, $250 lettuce tasting. Except the only lettuce served here was on the outrageously delish BLTs: salivating just thinking of those. But I’m getting ahead of myself. To pair with the sparklings, the rosé and the Chardonnay was a fabulous French fries bar by Savory Events, where you could heap dollops of garlic, salt, bacon and your favorite sauces atop cones filled with steaming hot sweet or russet potatoes, done to perfection in canola oil. This is the way to do a party that stars sparkling wine. 

But there were darker beverages to plumb. Winemaker Greg happened to be pouring the Caraccioli Pinot Noir, Gamay Noir and Syrah, which are certainly fantastic, especially when paired with the BLT’s made with heirloom tomatoes and Tony Baker’s incomparable bacon, served up on toasty brioche buns. There were chicken sliders, too. Pretty much perfection. Another food station was serving up gnocchi with kale and tomatoes, which I’m guessing went wonderfully with the Gamay Noir. For dessert, Teresa Maciel of Sweet Flow Bakery, had decorated her lineup of cakesickles, cupcakes, sugar cookies, and macaroons, and even rice krispies bars, all decorated with the Caraccioli logo, making a most intriguing presentation.

Vita said they’d processed nearly 100 tons more fruit this year than last, up from 260 to 350. It’s a good thing they have all this space. He was taking a break in the action of harvest, as they still had all the heavy reds to bring in from Galante, Jouillian and some of the Holman Ranch fruit. 

Scott Caraccioli was in good spirits seeing everyone having such a fine time. He was very grateful that for the most part, the Caraccioli harvest was finished, although it did cut them a little short on the whites, which suffered mightily due to the frost at fruit set this year. He dearly wishes they had gotten more Chardonnay for 2022. “We didn’t even have enough for still wine this year,” he told me. “It’s all gone to vin clair. I am committed to sparkling wine. I know where my priorities are!” 

With so many club members enjoying the fruits of his many years of labor, Scott told me he felt certain that his late sparkling wine maker, Michel Salgues, was smiling from above.

Pop a cork and raise a glass to a great idea that clearly took off.  BTW, I think the new 2016 Caraccioli Blanc de Blancs would be splendid with asparagus eggs Benedict.