Grape Escape: Caraccioli Rolls Out New Wines

November 10, 2023 – The annual Caraccioli Release Party is an occasion that turns Gonzales from a town bustling with trucks to a town buzzing with SUVs and sporty cars that people take out for special occasions. 

All around the former asparagus shed that houses the Caraccioli winery facility, parking was at a premium. The place was buzzing with excitement as the new wines flowed and the music cranked up to the point of dancing—and there was plenty of that going on by the end. 

We were welcomed with the 2017 Brut Sparkling out of magnum, and its crisp, lemon balm aromas made the long drive from Big Sur evaporate as the bubbles danced their way into oblivion. 

It’s impossibly hard to spit sparkling wine this good, but it must be done. After all, we had the 2017 Brut Rosé sparkling to try, always a crowd favorite and recently named Best Sparkling Wine in the USA. It’s pale pink hue make it the prettiest to pour into a flute. Both winners: light on their feet and perfectly evanescent. Good sparklings should leave no trace—just bliss—in their wake.

Father-son winemaking duo, Greg and Chris Vita, were busy behind the tables, with Greg pouring the 2021 Caraccioli Pinot Noir, well-endowed with black fruits and a good deal of savory. This bodacious wine is classic big-boned SLH with stature and power. One of my Livermore friends said this is the kind of Pinot Noir he can serve to his Russian River Pinot Noir loving friends and it will give them a run for their money. 

The new 2020 Caraccioli Chardonnay is reserved, understated and decidedly more mineral-driven than fruit driven. One of the hallmarks of Caraccioli’s Escolle Chardonnay has always been its emphasis on citrus and stone. Kudos to the winemakers for keeping this vineyard voice clearly in tune, especially during that exceedingly challenging vintage, where most of the fruit went to the sparkling program. 

The generous food by Savory Events was more than up to fueling the crowd, which seemed younger than last year, which is a darn good thing. The mushroom tarts and pumpkin soup were standouts. “Try the venison meat balls in huckleberry sauce with the Gamay Noir!” Stacia Wesenberg told me. She and her husband Steve were enjoying their first release party, having only recently discovered the joys of Caraccioli sparkling. They live off Highway 68 in what will one day be officially known as the Carmel Coast AVA. They are neighbors to Brad Bowlus and Albatross Ridge, and are thinking about planting vines. 

Everyone was buzzing about the new release of Gamay Noir. “We drink it for dinner almost every night!” Chris Vita shared. “We just love it!” Chad Silacci from Rustique agreed, and generously poured some of the bright and spicy wine into my empty glass, so we could get a proper shot. The gorgeous magenta rim of this wine tells you it is something special. Silacci says he got some fruit from Paloma Vineyard this year to supplement his estate grape harvest, and is excited to be finally upping his production. He says he went from 15 to 30 tons this year. 

Another fresh face with amazing product was Santana Qouign of Qouign Pastries, whose desserts were works of art and utterly fantastic. This gal has talent and she was definitely popular. Sure glad I snagged one of her last crunchy little pecan tarts. 

When Gary Caraccioli waved me over for a photo in front of the beautiful fall display of pumpkins and gourds, his glass had that telltale Gamay gleam, and he admitted he is totally in love with this wine. 

“Yesterday, I was in Carmel, drinking sparkling all day. Today, I’m really liking this Gamay Noir!” he beamed. We didn’t talk about whether he prefers broccoli to asparagus — neither of which was on the menu —but for a successful row crop farmer, this grape thing has worked out pretty darn well.