Self Isolation : Day # 25
2009 Caraccioli Cellars Brut
This small production, family run winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands of Santa Barbara, California is giving the Champenois a run for their money with their world-class sparkling wine program. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay thrive here, benefitting from the warm, sunny California days and long, cool nights that come with the cooling ocean breezes that sweep over the rolling hills. Those cooling winds and chilly nights are essential for sparkling wine production, allowing the grapes to retain high levels of acidity. The wines that form the base of Méthode Traditionelle sparklers must be acidic as sugar additions (le dosage) are necessary steps in the crème-de-la-crème of sparkling wine production methods.
Having successfully orbited the sun ten times, the 2009 vintage is most likely at its peak. A beautiful gold in the glass with deep, rich aromas of baked apples, dried mango, and ripe peach it was so captivating that I almost forgot to drink it! Like an aging dancer it was still vibrant on the palate with a backbone of mouthwatering acidity and a fine mousse (a fancy way to say I liked the bubbles) but moving a bit more slowly as the complex notes of preserved citrus, dried apple, stone fruit and orchard blossoms linger on the palate as if they’re gracefully dragging their feet as they exit stage left. This wine doesn’t want to leave the party just yet. It is medium- to full-bodied and a textural, pensive wine that is hauntingly beautiful in its aging grace. To those who stubbornly refuse to accept the fact that top-notch sparkling wine can be made outside the rolling hills in north-east France that Champagne calls home, I can’t convince you to change your mind. All I can do is smile in knowing that my wallet is just a little bit heavier than yours is on the way home from the wine shop.
This paired wonderfully well with the assortment of take-out sashimi, nigiri, gyoza, and rolls we got from our favorite local sushi restaurant. While I’d rather be eating at the restaurant itself (and enjoying their excellent sake selection) the fact that the wine matched the food so well made us feel that much better about supporting independent restaurants during this crisis. Cheers!