The wine comes from three parcels of grapes at Sanford & Benedict Vineyards. Two of the vines are 10-12 years old, which contribute to the richness and depth of this wine. The third parcel is made from own-rooted vines planted in 1971, which give the wine an elegant and glamorous character.
2/3 of the grapes are fermented whole bunch, crushed and pigeage combined, then aged in 228L barriques. 30% of the grapes are aged in new barrels for 19 months. Racine, which means grape root in French, is a winery specializing in wines from the Santa Rita Hills AVA in California, born from the collaboration of four people. The idea for the collaborative winery started with the idea of Etienne de Montille, the owner of Domaine de Montille, based in Volnay village, Burgundy, France, and Brian Sieve, an American who serves as the chef de cave of the Domaine.
In 2016, the two planned a trip to the wine regions of California and Oregon, and conducted a month-long tasting tour. At that time, the two became very interested in the Santa Rita Hills AVA, and were particularly impressed by the high precision and expressiveness (nuance) of Tyler Winery in Santa Barbara. The two approached Justin Willet, the owner and winemaker of Tyler, about collaboration, and hit it off by creating the best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that are unparalleled in Santa Rita Hills. A year later, Etienne's friend, Rodolphe Péters, the ever-popular Champagne récoltant-manipulant Pierre Péters, joined the project, and in 2017, they released their first wine as a multi-collaboration winery that crossed the borders of France and the United States. Rodolphe is in charge of producing authentic sparkling wine using the same Santa Rita Hills grapes selected and produced using the Champagne method (scheduled for release in Japan in fall 2022). Etienne, Brian, and Rodolphe. For these three, Racine is like a blank canvas where they can use their imagination and craftsmanship without being bound by the history and traditions of the two great French wine-producing regions of Burgundy and Champagne. The goal is for the partners, from different generations, to bring their expertise and experience to express the terroir of Santa Rita Hills, which is attracting attention as one of the world's leading cool-climate regions for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, through wine. This project started with four people, but now Justin has been replaced by local Santa Rita Hills specialists Ryan and Betsy Hannaford, who are also cultivation partners.
Chardonnay, planted on diatomaceous earth that was once the bottom of the sea, is brewed using techniques used in Burgundy and Champagne, with an emphasis on "energy," "transparency," and "precision." Pinot Noir is fermented using whole bunches of grapes, and aims for a style that is well extracted, full-bodied, and long-lasting, while pursuing "elegance," "refreshment," and "spicy."