| Producer | Caraccioli Cellars |
| Country | United States |
| Region | Santa Lucia Highlands |
| Varietal | Sparkling Wine |
| Vintage | 2017 |
| Sku | 15330 |
| Size | 750ml |
Escolle is sustainably certified (SIP) and utilizes minimal intervention practices throughout the vineyard. No herbicides are used on Escolle, as all weeds are removed manually with either a weed knife or by hand. Minimal to no irrigation is utilized unless an extreme vintage takes place. A healthy cover crop is established to minimize any erosion and aids in ideal canopy vigor.
As of 2015 our estate Escolle Vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay comprise 100% of Caraccioli Cellars total production. 2017 is the third vintage the sparkling cuvée transitioned to completely estate fruit. All grapes are hand harvested into small totes, disallowing any premature crush prior to press and preventing oxidation. All sparkling lots are processed in four ton press loads, which is optimal when using the Coquard PAI Gravity Press. We utilize extremely light whole cluster pressing and only use the first 120 gallons/ton. The cuvée begins fermentation in stainless steel tanks utilizing a specific yeast strain chosen specifically for our sparkling project. 20% of the wines finish primary fermentation in neutral French oak barrels, while the remaining 80% undergo similar oak aging once the primary fermentation is complete. The total time on oak is approximately two months. Due to the extremely low pH, the wines never undergo malolactic fermentation. The cuvée is racked back to tank, cold-stabilized and bottled. The Brut Cuvée is left to age sur lies for four years. Riddled and disgorged in house, the wine ages on cork for an additional 12 months prior to release.
A creamy foam rises in the glass on this bottling, greeting the nose with aromas of lemon peel and cake dough. The palate offers a similar sensation, pairing the persistent mousse with an approachably citrus flavor of lemon bar and pastry flake.
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