Racines

Racines is a collaboration between Etienne de Montille, of the well-regarded Burgundy domaine, and Brian Sieve, a California wine professional. The project is centred on Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay, an area at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley where the Pacific fog rolls in daily and the growing season is long and cool.

The Burgundian influence is clear in the winemaking: high-acid fruit, measured oak, and a preference for texture over extraction. The result is Chardonnay with real minerality and length, closer in spirit to the Côte de Beaune than to the richer, more tropical styles the region can produce. A serious wine from a partnership that knows exactly what it is trying to make.