Racines, `Sanford & Benedict` Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay

Racines is a collaboration between Etienne de Montille of Domaine de Montille in Volnay and American-born winemaker Brian Sieve. A combination of world-famous vineyards and world-class winemaking makes this one of California’s most exciting, modern winemaking projects.

In 2016, Etienne and Brian spent months travelling across the Golden State in search of its finest vineyards. They aimed to discover the Golden State’s great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers and get to know its innumerable AVAs. After hundreds of tastings and encounters, they were eventually captivated by Santa Barbara County and its combination of ambitious young winemakers and historic vineyards such as ‘Bien Nacido’ and ‘Sanford & Benedict’.

Together, they sought out highly coveted sites in the Santa Rita Hills and founded Racines, releasing their first vintage in 2017. The wines hail from vineyards across the Santa Rita Hills AVA, planted on soil types ranging from sandy and clay loams to quartz and shale. The proximity of the Pacific Ocean (just 10km away) imparts a coolness and clarity on the wines. Most of the fruit is sourced from a long-term lease of the ‘Wenzlau’ vineyard. However, Racines also work with growers in ‘Sanford & Benedict’, ‘Bentrock’ and ‘La Rinconada’ as well as the ‘La Mesa’ vineyard, which comprises part of Domaine de la Côte’s prized estate.

Racines makes four Chardonnays. The Santa Rita Hills ‘estate’ Chardonnay hails from a blend of vineyard sites and is complemented by three single-vineyard wines, ‘Wenzlau’, ‘Bentrock’ and ‘Sanford & Benedict’. Each is fermented using indigenous yeasts in a combination of 500-litre puncheons, 350-litre barrels, and 228-litre barriques, resulting in around 20% new oak on the finished wines. After a year in barrel, the wines are aged for an additional six months in stainless steel before bottling. They express a precise definition of their site, each with a vibrant, detailed, and saline character.

The Pinot Noirs consist of a Santa Rita Hills ‘Estate’ Pinot Noir, the ‘Sainte Rose’ (made from a blend of ‘Sanford & Benedict’, ‘La Rinconada’, ‘La Encontada’ and ‘Domaine de la Côte’) and two single-vineyard wines: ‘Sanford & Benedict’ and ‘La Rinconada’. They are fermented with indigenous yeasts and up to 50% whole-bunch which lends a lithe and nuanced charm to the wines.

The ‘Grand Reserve’ Sparkling is a Blanc de Blancs made from 100% Chardonnay. Produced using the traditional method, the 2018 vintage base also includes 15% reserve wine from the 2017 harvest. Sourced from ‘Wenzlau’, ‘Sanford & Benedict’ and ‘Bentrock’, the varying soil types of these three sites create an elegant, expressive wine with great minerality and length.