Founded in 2006, the Caraccioli wines are all from their estate Escolle Vineyard, with no concessions made. Winemaker Scott Caraccioli takes part of the vineyard and sells the rest of the grapes, which include Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay Noir, and Syrah. His sparkling wines are the showcase of the site. He also makes the lower price-point Private Property wines, sourcing more widely from the area. This small, family-owned winery quickly made a name for itself by producing impressively complex sparkling wines with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grown in their painstakingly maintained and farmed, 124-acre Escolle Vineyard. Located at the northern end of the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation, most of the fruit is sold off to neighboring wineries, with the rest used here to make both still and sparkling wines. Extended aging on the lees, usually for around 48 months, makes these wines stand toe-to-toe with any New World sparklers that I know, not to mention plenty of Champagnes. That’s not entirely surprising given the fact that Scott Caraccioli had the opportunity to work alongside Michel Salgues, of Roederer Estate and the first winemaker here, for eight years, from 2009 until 2017, when he took the reins.

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