Best Price in the Country on Sta. Rita Hills Chard With a French Accent

STA. RITA HILLS WITH A FRENCH ACCENT

"When you have a collaboration between two classic houses from France, led by vignerons Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne in the cool climate of the Sta. Rita Hills, the result is a terrific venture called Racines! They make both vineyard-specific and appellation wines, and today we have the 2020 Racines Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée, a wine that the winery believes ‘best represents the potential of the region as a whole.’

When I tasted the range by this powerhouse group of producers, they exclaimed that after searching out different regions in California and Oregon, they found that Sta. Rita Hills most resembled Burgundy and felt that they had finally found the right place to make wine in the states. This Chardonnay is inviting, with beautiful fruit, a kiss of oak, and a long finish. Even better, we have the best price in the country when you buy 2 or more! Enjoy!" – Glen Knight, Wine House

We are delighted to welcome Vilma Mazaite, General Manager at Donnachadh (pronounced "DON-nuh-kuh") next Thursday, April 25, for an in-store tasting to highlight current releases from this small family-owned vineyard and winery in the Sta. Rita Hills. Using organic farming practices and minimal intervention in the cellar, acclaimed winemaker Ernst Storm makes limited-production wines with a true sense of place. Donnachadh wines are brimming with character and refinement, balancing Old World elegance with the authentic spirit of the vineyard to let the fruit and terroir shine.

NOTE: The Wine House will be closed this Sunday, April 21 to honor Bill Knight, beloved father and the Wine House’s captain, who passed away this week.

"The 2020 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills Cuvee is a solid, entry-level offering from Racines. Apricot, lemon confit, tangerine and light tropical accents all grace this open-knit, inviting Chardonnay. This is a pretty overt style, but it works nicely. Drinking window: 2022 – 2027" – Antonio Galloni, Vinous (June 2022)

FROM THE WINERY

VINEYARDS
A blend of Chardonnay from a few different parcels of the vineyards we work with all located in the Sta. Rita Hills, including both Wenzlau Family Vineyard and Rancho la Viña Vineyard. Wenzlau Vineyard is part of our estate holdings and sits surrounded by Rita’s Crown, Mt. Carmel, and Sea Smoke Vineyards on a steep, dramatic hillside just above the Santa Ynez River and across from the famed Sanford & Benedict Vineyard.

PRODUCTION
The wines were fermented in a combination of 500L puncheons and 228L barriques, resulting in about 10% new wood on the wine. After a little under a year in barrel, the wines and all the lees were moved to tank for an additional five months of cellaring. This is a wine that we believe best represents the potential of the region as a whole.

TECHNICAL
Elevage: 11 months - 10% new French oak - 5 months in stainless steel
Alcohol: 12.8%
Soil Type: Sorento loam

ABOUT RACINES

Racines is a collaboration between two classic houses from France, led by vignerons Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne. 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.

The project is the first venture for Étienne and Rodolphe beyond France and represents the coming together of all that is wonderful about Burgundy, Champagne and California.

These wines confirm something many have long suspected: that if you are looking to make terroir driven, elegant, balanced wines in the new world, then Sta. Rita Hills is the place.