Racines Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay 2022
Racines Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay
Region: California, USA
Vintage: 2022
Bottle size: 75cl
Grape: Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
The wine opens on notes of lemon marmalade, white flowers and white pepper on the nose. The palate is creamy and layered with brightness and energy with a long, saline finish.
The fruit is sourced from carefully selected sites of Sorento Loam soil within the Santa Rita Hills with the majority coming from the La Mesa vineyard (leased to Racines by Domaine de La Côte) and Wenzlau vineyard (part of the Racines estate). The Wenzlau site is surrounded by Mount Carmel and Sea Smoke vineyards, on the steep, dramatic hillside above the Santa Ynez site and across from the famous Sanford & Benedict vineyard.
The wines were fermented in a combination of 500L puncheons, 350L barrels and 228L barriques, resulting in roughly 20% new oak. After almost one year in barrel, the wines and lees were moved to stainless steel tanks for additional cellaring.
Racines is a collaboration between Étienne 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.