Beyond the Bubbles at Caraccioli

April 26, 2022 – My friends from Minnesota were pretty impressed when we entered the decidedly French cave-like Caraccioli Cellars tasting room in downtown Carmel after an outstanding lunch at La Bicyclette. The spinach gnocci were the hit of the day and the arugula, watercress, watermelon salad with crispy prosciutto and olives was no slouch either. Sparkling was definitely in order. They didn’t know what to expect, but a Champagne cave wasn’t on the list of pre-conceived notions. We were greeted by the hospitable Andrew and Daniella, who have their bubbles protocol down and explained that both 2016 sparklings on offer had a fairly low dosage of sugar: 6 grams, down from 8 and 9 in prior years, ad significantly down from the 10 and 12 grams of the past. Sparkling has a long lead time and a long learning curve. It’s another reason uncorking a bottle is such a celebratory act, as if to say, “I may be a little trouble to get open, and I may have taken a long time to get here, but I will be worth every effort!” 

Presentation is key when it comes to fine wine, and kudos to Scott Caraccioli and the hospitality team for serving their bubbles in the most impressive and luxurious flutes. The flat bottom tosses the bubbles up in a giant flood, like balloons rising from a float in a parade. The aeration is perfect, the wine has ample room to let off its many atmospheres of pressure, and your nose doesn’t feel like it’s intruding into a forbidden space, as it does in flutes of smaller diameter.

The 2016 Brut is just stunning, arousing from its four year slumber en tirage before it was disgorged, dosaged and then aged another years and a half before release. It seems happy to be out and about, brimming with aromatics of ripe strawberries and gardenias and overflowing on the palate with bright Meyer lemon, a touch of apricot and exotic candied ginger. Jubilant and velvety smooth, it has none of that heavy leesy yeastiness, but is instead creamy and uplifted, with vibrant acidity, cleansing in every aspect, and finishing long and strong, the sign of an adroitly crafted sparkling. About 1300 cases were made. 

The winery is making 3,000 cases of the different sparkling wines, which now include a Blanc de Blancs and a Blanc de Noirs, made as of 2016. This was the second year they entirely relied on fruit from their own vines to create their sparkling dossier. The BdB is expected to be released this fall, with the BdN forthcoming next year. Exciting!!

But wait, there were more bubbles to peruse. Next up was the 2016 Brut Rosé, with 1% of still wine added for color and a punch of flavor. Both the 2014 and 2015 vintages of this wine were named America’s Best Sparkling wine. This has less pigment than the 2015, which I recently opened and enjoyed, and way more stonefruit flavors, delivering delicate white peach, ripe apricot and marzipan flavors. 

At this point, Scott Caraccioli walked in, to the delight of my companions, who were stoked to meet the man behind the brand. When they tasted the 2019 Escolle Chardonnay, served in wide Burgundy stems, there was a silent pause, followed by exclamations of approval. Two thumbs up for another vintage of Escolle Chardonnay, a stellar example of pure minerality, oozing crushed oyster shells and ocean mist. Scott told us he really loves the Hyde clone of Chardonnay for its distinctive and amazing acidity, which carries the flavors of quince, lemon curd and saltwater taffy as it cruises down your palate like a slow motion flotilla. My friends Susan and Merrily instantly decided to buy a half a case to ship to Minnesota, so they have something to drink at summer parties at the lake house, when everybody else is drinking Bud and Miller Lite. “And we’re not sharing!!” Merrily emphasized. “This stuff is too good!”  

Scott explained that he uses 80% new French oak puncheons for this wine, but for only 3 months: quick hit and done! He also prevents malolactic, to keep the wine as mineral driven as possible. “I don’t want to hide the vineyard! I want to integrate the vineyard and the acid, and Escolle is all about the malic acid.” Just that wee bit of oak imparts a texture like a fine tea biscuit. This is a pristine and elegant Chardonnay for those who want to taste the smooth and naturally sexy operator that this grape can be, without being slutted up by too much oak. Yes, winemakers use this term to describe wine that has lots of sweet oak and very ripe fruit. Certainly not a style you will find under the Caraccioli label. 

After doing this for a few years now, Caraccioli feels like he’s dialing in the vineyard, understanding each block of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, figuring out which works best for sparkling and which for still. “It really feels like a cohesive project,” he says. “The B7 and B6 blocks where the Hyde clone is planted is all sandy,” which displays itself best on its own in a still wine.  He also declines to include Chardonnay clone 95 in the still wine, using it in sparkling instead.

Over the past few years, he has added some new varieties to the plantings on the 124-acre vineyard, grafting over some Pinot Noir clone 113 to Syrah and also to Gamay Noir—his current obsession.

“It’s like Cru Beaujolais,” he says. “Burgundy got so expensive, people stopped drinking French Chardonnay and Pinot Noir started drinking Cru Beaujolais, and now the prices of that have gone way up. Similarly, prices of Rhones are going up as well.” He thinks Gamay hits similar notes to Pinot Noir and feels it will be very popular, once people try it. 

Speaking of Pinot Noir, the 2019 has lots of red cherry, black tea and a distinct peppery note, plus tarragon and sage from the 8% stem inclusion—definitely a very youthful wine that will absolutely be stunning in a year or two. If you love red fruited Pinot Noir, you will really like the 2019 Elevation Pinot Noir, made from vines at the top of the vineyard hill, where the Pommard 4 is planted, along with Swan, 236 and 113, all of which are co-fermented in 50% new French oak. It’s beautifully spicy, expressive, deeply structured and oozing lush raspberry. 

We finished with the 2019 Syrah. Dark purple in the glass, the rim is rosy and the aromas are outstanding, with violets, chocolate and dark cherry. Significantly tannic but quite approachable, this wine has great heritage. Its lineage is both the Alban clone 7 and the Alban Power Block clone, which were sourced from Soberanes with the blessings of John Alban, the Johnny Appleseed of Syrah on the Central Coast. This is a terrific wine that will age beautifully.

If there’s one thing Caraccoli wants to do it’s to plant more vines. He’s leased the land the vineyards are thriving on “until I’m 65,” he says. And although he sells 70% of the fruit he grows to labels like Landmark, I. Brand, Chordant, Folktale, Hammerling and Windy Oaks, he really wants to install more vines.

 This land has so many more stories to tell, one bottle at a time. Perhaps some of them will eventually travel to Minnesota, where they will be opened, coveted and enjoyed like a secret telegram from a far away place.