Racines

History of the Racines estate

The Racines estate is the first venture outside France by Étienne de Montille and Rodolphe Péters. At the helm of the Domaine de Montille, in Burgundy, since the 1980s, Étienne de Montille inherited from his father, the legendary Hubert de Montille, an absolute commitment to terroir, leading the estate in organic farming and then biodynamics. With Brian Sieve, the American cellar master of the Domaine de Montille, he set out to explore California and Oregon in search of a place to put down roots — hence the name of the project.

It is in the hills of Santa Rita Hills, on the central coast of California, that they found the precision and freshness they were seeking. A year later, Rodolphe Péters, sixth generation of the Champagne house Pierre Péters and a specialist in Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs, joined them to develop sparkling wines. Far from the weight of Burgundian and Champagne history, this trio combines their expertise to create a unique range of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and sparkling wines, the estate's own vineyard — the Racines Estate — having delivered its first harvest in 2023.

Terroirs and vineyards of the Racines estate

The Racines estate's terroir unfolds within the Santa Rita Hills appellation, at the heart of Santa Barbara County, in California. A geographical singularity, its east-to-west oriented valleys allow the Pacific mists and cool winds to penetrate, offering a maritime climate particularly suited to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The soils, combining diatomaceous earth, limestone, and sandy clays, lend the wines tension, minerality, and energy.

Beyond its own vineyard, the estate works with some of the most prestigious and historic terroirs in the region, such as Sanford & Benedict, Bentrock, La Rinconada, and Wenzlau. This mosaic of plots, tended with the greatest care, allows Racines to explore the diversity of Santa Rita Hills' microclimates and to produce single-vineyard wines of great precision, faithful to the expression of each site.

Winemaking at the Racines estate

Like Domaine de Montille, Racines' winemaking draws on French traditions to reveal the purity and transparency of the fruit. Fermentations are started exclusively with indigenous yeasts, without excessive manipulation, and the wines benefit from long ageing that develops their complexity while preserving a fresh acidity, a hallmark of fine ageing potential.

For the Pinot Noir, the use of whole-cluster fermentation brings structure and aromatic finesse, while the Chardonnays are aged in the great Burgundian tradition. The sparkling wines, meanwhile, are crafted using the traditional method, in the style of the great Blanc de Blancs dear to Rodolphe Péters, with an extra-brut dosage that underlines their tension and purity.

The cuvées of the Racines estate

The Chardonnay range illustrates the diversity of the Santa Rita Hills terroirs. The Racines Chardonnay Santa Barbara offers an accessible, fresh expression of the variety at county level, while the Racines Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills blends several plots from the appellation for greater depth. Single-vineyard enthusiasts will turn to the Racines Chardonnay Wenzlau Family, sourced from a highly regarded family vineyard, and to the Racines Chardonnay de Montille Estate, an expression of the estate's own vineyard and the pinnacle of precision and minerality.

The Pinot Noirs translate the freshness of the maritime climate with elegance. The Racines Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills, a blend from the appellation, captivates with its balance and finesse, while the Racines Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict draws from one of the region's most historic vineyards for remarkable depth and complexity. The Racines Pinot Noir de Montille Estate, sourced from the estate's own vineyard, embodies the culmination of the estate's vision, combining structure, freshness, and great ageing potential.

The sparkling wines, born of Rodolphe Péters' Champagne expertise, complete the range with brilliance. The Racines Grand Reserve Sparkling Chardonnay, a non-vintage Blanc de Blancs, marries several harvests in a fine, chalky style. The estate also produces rare extra-brut single-vineyard bubbles, such as the Blanc de Blancs from the Bentrock vineyard and that from Sanford & Benedict — two highly precise sparkling Chardonnays that celebrate the meeting of Champagne and California.