2016 Caraccioli Cellars Escolle Vineyard Brut Rose

Caraccioli Cellars was founded in 2006 to make sparkling wine exclusively from Santa Lucia Highlands grapes. The estate is owned and operated by several generations of the Caraccioli family, which has deep roots in Salinas Valley agriculture. Gary Caraccioli’s Swiss-Italian grandfather made wine on the family farm, which inspired Gary, many years later, to start Caraccioli Cellars with his uncle and brother. The estate vineyard is the 124-acre Escolle Vineyard in the northern Santa Lucia Highlands. It is planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and besides sparkling wine, Caraccioli also makes Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Santa Lucia Highlands AVA is a 12-mile long, narrow strip of an appellation wedged along the eastern hillsides of the Santa Lucia mountain range. Given its proximity to Big Sur and the Gabilan Mountain Range to the northeast, Santa Lucia a cool-climate wine growing district. Morning sun is often followed by maritime winds and fog in the afternoon, a weather pattern that prolongs the growing season and means long, gentle ripening of the grapes. Spanish missionaries planted vineyards in the district in the 18th century, but it wasn’t until the 1970s that modern winemakers planted vineyards and began making high quality wine. The district received AVA status in 1991 and today there are 6,000 vineyard acres in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Pinot Noir is the dominant grape planted, followed by Chardonnay and Riesling.