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Private Property Blanc de Blancs Brut Santa Lucia Highlands 2021 Wine - Last Bottle

Private Property Blanc de Blancs Brut Santa Lucia Highlands 2021

For you Champagne passionistas, I dare you to taste this stunning 91 point California sparkling blind against your favorite tête de cuvée. You might think you can tell the difference, but this one just might prove you wrong. At the best price in the USA – the time to load up is now!

$39
$60

Retail

35
Flavor Profile: Lemon curd, Chinese white pear, yellow peach, croissant dough, white flowers, chalk, and clay
Time on Lees: 29 months
Disgorgement Date: July 15, 2024
Dosage: 4 g/L

Why We Love It...

I’ll let Vinous’ own, Josh Raynolds, get this party started…and make no mistake, you’re invited! “The Caraccioli family made their name by producing some of the most complex, elegant sparkling wines in the United States.” Yes… they… did! This incredible “Private Property” Blanc de Blancs is one of my favorite non-Champagnes of 2024 – and if you got some when we featured it in the summer, know this – it’s only gotten better over these past few months! From the cool-climate of the Santa Lucia Highlands – one of the best sites for pinot noir and chardonnay in all the world – this crisp and profoundly complex Blanc de Blanc has evolved into something seriously dreamy!

This family-run winery in the Santa Lucia Highlands, founded in 2006, has become known for its impressive and generous sparkling wines that stand up to plenty of Champagne greats. We popped a bottle just last week – hidden amongst a crop of stellar Champagnes from the Côte des Blancs – and this was so wildly impressive, we couldn’t believe it wasn’t Champagne! 

Gary Caraccioli grew up working his family farm in the Salinas Valley, watching his Swiss-Italian grandfather lovingly craft his own homemade wine to share at family dinners. This imparted the belief in him that wine is part beverage, but also part experience and memory to be shared with loved ones. He convinced his brother and uncle to expand the family’s farming roots and move into grape growing and winemaking in 2006, with his sights set on crafting wines unique to the Santa Lucia Highlands’ terroir. Partnering with Michel Salgues, a Frenchman who’d spent the majority of his career at Champagne’s Louis Roederer Estate, the winery was born, with a devoted focus on low-intervention, high-quality winemaking and sustainable viticultural practices. Sadly, Michel Salgues passed away in 2017, yet his legacy lives on in these seriously exceptional sparkling wines offered by the Caraccioli family – as well as the philosophies and practices carried on by Gary’s son, Scott, and winemakers Chris and Greg Vita. 

The 2021 Private Property Blanc de Blancs is hand-harvested into small totes to remove the potential of premature crushing and prevent oxidation. The grapes are crushed in an actual Coquard press (rarely seen outside of Champagne) that delicately separates the juice from the whole clusters of fruit, all without overly crushing the skins and seeds. Lower yields, but higher quality juice is the result, a happy sacrifice to the bubbly gods that ensures only the best juice makes these wines. From there, fermentation occurs in stainless steel tanks followed by aging in neutral French oak for about 5 months, and finally, bottle-aging for another 29 months. A rather low dosage of four grams per liter promotes a vibrant and textural sipping experience, with a freshness that can’t be beat! This is a limited-quantity release (only 178 cases total), making this a rare domestic treat!

Bright notes and complex textures arrive in spades with this shimmering beauty, offering up notes of lemon curd, Chinese white pear, yellow peach, croissant dough, white flowers, and some chalky and clay sensations that generate a crisp, mineral finish and exquisite layer of acidity. As it’s a blanc de blancs, it is 100% chardonnay that pours a pale yellow in the glass, with a lovely and creamy mousse that softens and spreads out the intensity of these brighter flavor expressions. This is a pure, clean style of sparkling wine that proves it unequivocally belongs on the same tier as top quality Champagne! As a California native – and one that has put Champagne on the highest of pedestals – that is indeed saying something! You simply must try it for yourself, darlings, and if you’ve already crossed that bridge – might I say, the time has come for you to try, try again! 

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Technical Details

Country: United States
Region: California
Appellation: Monterey County
Varietal: Chardonnay
Winemaker: Michel Salgues
Alcohol: 12.0%
Pair it with: Chicken Katsu-don

About the Producer

Caraccioli Cellars, based in Carmel, California, is celebrated for its elegant sparkling wines and still varietals crafted from estate-grown grapes in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The winery emphasizes meticulous winemaking and extended aging to produce wines of exceptional quality and balance. In addition to their flagship Caraccioli label, they offer a second label, Private Property, which provides more youthful, fresh, fruit-forward expressions made with the same standard of care in the vineyard and cellar.

Private Property Blanc de Blancs Brut Santa Lucia Highlands 2021

$39
$60

Retail

35
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