This Wine List is a Winner: Caruso’s Receives Global Honor

Rick Caruso is singing the praises of the wine team at his namesake Montecito restaurant. And for good reason. “This award is a testament to the entire team at Caruso’s, whose passion, expertise, and dedication have created one of the world’s truly exceptional wine and dining programs,” the developer and owner of Rosewood Miramar Beach tells the MJ.

Last month, Wine Spectator – with a circulation of 400,000, known as the world’s most widely read wine publication – awarded its highest honor, the Grand Award, to only two restaurants. One, called Berria, is in Madrid. The other is Caruso’s. 

Launched 45 years ago, and doled out just once a year, the accolade recognizes exceptional wine lists, along with bespoke service and presentation. With the two new entries, the prestigious list now honors just 99 restaurants around the world, including The Stonehouse at the San Ysidro Ranch, which achieved the prize in 2014, along with Wally’s in Beverly Hills, The French Laundry in Napa, Palais Coburg in Vienna, Le Louis XV by Alain Ducasse in Monaco and Les Amis in Singapore.

“The Grand Award is the highest globally recognized award in the wine profession,” says Rob Smits, Caruso’s wine director. “Caruso’s has a never-ending commitment to pushing forward, and this is the next evolution of our reputation as a serious wine restaurant. Caruso’s is a destination restaurant, not your typical resort restaurant.”

He also tips his hat to Caruso’s location in Montecito as added motivation to cultivate an incomparable wine program. “There are a lot of collectors and savvy wine drinkers in the area, global diners who live here, and an international group of travelers that vacation here. Montecito is a sophisticated market.”

Caruso’s is already a global standout for its cuisine. Helmed by Executive Chef Massimo Falsini, it holds a Michelin Star and a Michelin Green Star for its sustainable gastronomy, and a hyper-local sourcing ethos that includes a traceable ocean-to-table program and onsite organic garden and beehives. Its curated touchpoints incorporate tableware commissioned from a historic French porcelain house and an ever-changing eight-course Chef’s Tasting Menu.

And in many ways, the food serves as inspiration for the wine.

Mr. Smits says: “The menu is very clean and bright with the freshest local seafood and produce. So much of the wine list is built to complement that with bright refreshing whites, and focused, not overly-rich reds. 

We have something for everyone, with different price points and regions represented, from iconic cult wines of the world to local approachable wines. A lot of international travelers want to drink Santa Barbara wines, while locals might lean into our French or Italian selections. We have extensive half-bottle selections, magnums, and a long list of wines by the glass.”

But the wine focus at Caruso’s goes beyond. The attention to sourcing premium bottles is just the beginning. Building a tailor-made customer experience was key to the securing the Wine Spectator nod.

“You first need to start with having a story worth telling,” says Mr. Smits. “Some of the most exciting wines in California are being made right here in Santa Barbara and we wanted to narrate that story through AVA maps, historic vineyard pages, and verticals from pioneering wineries. When we set out to build out the program, we knew that no one had told the history of Santa Barbara through a wine list and analyzed the direction we wanted to go through that lens. That was our goal. The entire team was all-in, and we had a uniform goal to build something really unique and special. We have a lot of incredible relationships with importers and winemakers, and many of those took years of nurturing and developing those connections to have access to the best wines in the world.

“Every detail of the wine list was intentional,” he adds. “To be recognized at the highest level for that is incredibly rewarding.”

Wine selection aside, diversity in pricing is also a major criterium for the Grand Award, and that’s remained another focus point for Mr. Smits and his team. “We have a lot of depth with the benchmark regions of the world, [and] yes, those wines are more expensive,” he admits. “But we also have extensive depth in Santa Barbara, and those are also incredible. There is a bottle or opportunity for everyone to find something they like, both local and Old World.”

Among other Santa Barbara County labels generating buzz with the Caruso’s wine team: Chanin by winemaker Gavin Chanin; Tyler from vintner Justin Willett; and the Sta. Rita Hills-based project, Racines, from French vigneron Étienne de Montille.

The MJ put Mr. Smits on the spot when we asked: If a guest comes in tonight to celebrate this historic win and tells you, ‘Bring me Chef Massimo’s absolute favorite signature dish, and pair it with the one bottle in this cellar that best represents your soul as a wine steward,’ what food and wine are landing on that table?

His answer: “We are a tasting menu restaurant and offer two different wine pairings: ‘Sense of Place,’ completely focused on Santa Barbara wines, and our ‘Reserve Pairing,’ focusing on the benchmark wine regions of Europe. I think the Yolk Gnocchetti Sardi Risottati is a great representation of Caruso’s, with the oceanic elements coming from [local sea urchin diver] Stephanie Muntz’s uni and Santa Barbara abalone, along with the caviar and Yuzu. For the ‘Sense of Place’ pairing: Sandhi Chardonnay, Romance Vineyard, Sta. Rita Hills, 2022. For the Reserve Pairing, Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin, 1er Cru, Les Frionnes, Burgundy, 2021.”

One great way to delve into the now-globally renowned Caruso’s wine program is ‘Bounty,’ the communal wine garden dinner series that returned for its third season in April. The experience, which continues through mid-October, spotlights Central Coast winemakers, farmers and purveyors seated with patrons in a round-the-table setting, along with a casual yet vibrant menu of salads, pizzas prepped in the garden’s wood-fire oven, and more. Upcoming featured guests include Sashi Moorman on August 19 and Pete Stolpman on September 24. The dinners are priced at $155
per person. Cheers!  

For tickets, go to https://tinyurl.com/Miramar-Bounty-Wine-26