2019 Pinot Noir Escolle Vineyard

Greg Vita at Caraccioli makes some of the New World’s most elegant, balanced and complex sparkling wines. Vita worked here alongside the late Michel Salgues, who was previously the winemaker for Roederer Estate, in the Anderson Valley. As much as I respect and enjoy the Roederer Estate bottlings, what’s happening here is at another level, as in the upper tier of quality. I have many times confused a Caraccioli sparkling wine with one from you-know-where. These bottlings also age wonderfully. I admire the Caraccioli family’s practice of giving their wines extended lees time and their policy of giving them some bottle age before they finally hit the market. Less well-known are the still wines here. The Chardonnay, the Pinot Noir and, especially the Syrah, are excellent. Syrah has a great future (and present, in fact) in the Santa Lucia Highlands. Every year I am struck by the general level of finesse and aromatic complexity that producers are achieving with the variety here.