93 Vinous – The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée is a terrific introduction to the range. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, rose petal and a touch of whole cluster savoriness are all beautifully delineated. This is such a gorgeous and expressive Pinot.
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A blend of fruit from the Bentrock, La Encantada, La Rinconada and Sanford Benedict vineyards. On average, one third whole cluster is retained during fermentation and only punched down for about three weeks before being put to standard 228l barrel for elevage.
Among the many great Burgundy winemakers who have landed on the West Coast and are making wine here, the most exciting of all might be the most recent arrival, Etienne de Montille. His wines are sought after by all those who love burgundy, especially fellow winemakers.
Racines is a collaboration led by Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne. Étienne and Brian had been on an exploratory trip to California and Oregon in search of a place where they could put down roots for a initial project beyond of France. In the Santa Rita Hills, they found the precision and finesse they were looking for.
A year later Rodolphe Péters, with a similar intent, joined to create a range of sparkling wines, also from the Santa Rita Hills. The team came together to join their individual experiences in hand-crafting wines of purity and transparency to create a range of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the cool climate of the Sta. Rita Hills in California. Racines represents the coming together of all that is wondrous about Burgundy, Champagne and California.