Racines - STA. RITA HILLS CUVEE Pinot Noir 2021 750ml (13% ABV)

Racines is a collaboration lead by Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy and Rodolphe Peters of Champagne.

the Racines wines exhibit some different qualities to those we have come to expect from the Santa Rita Hills. The Pinot Noirs employ whole-cluster fermentation, adding elegance, lift and spiciness, combined with pigéage throughout fermentation, offering a more extracted flavor profile that brings volume and exceptional aging potential.

The Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir comes from vineyards that lie on the Santa Rosa Road corridor of the Santa Rita Hills and farmed using organic practices. These sites consist of varying soil types from sandy loam, clay loam, chert, shale. This is a wine that we believe best represents the potential of the region as a whole. Vineyards: La Mesa Vineyard, La Encantada Vineyard, La Rinconada Vineyard & Sanford & Benedict Vineyard.

Gorgeous cuvee from Racines - alluring bouquet of pressed red flowers, mint, strawberry, forest floor, light and fresh yet also deep and savory with a dense core of red berry fruit, earth, and spice. has structure that will appeal to burgundy fans. decant for 45 mins of cellar for a few more years.

includes some fruit from an original portion of the benchmark 'Sanford & Benedict' vineyard, including the oldest vines in the Santa Rita Hills. Vine plantings date back to 1971.

3152 cases in 2021.

92 pts Vinous - ".... dense, plush and explosive. The purity of the flavors is just remarkable. Bright red cherry/plum fruit, spice, cedar, new leather and spice .... tons of nuance. This is a fabulous appellation-level wine...."

region: Sta Rita Hills, Central Coast, CA, USA

varietal: Pinot Noir

style: light red

farming/cellar: organic, 50% whole cluster is retained during 3 week fermentation using native yeast, 228L barriques for elevage 17 months (15% new), unfined, unfiltered

pairing: townline bbq brisket and pulled pork