2017 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills)

The new partnership between Justin Willett, Etienne de Montille and Rodolphe Péters is off to a very strong start. The heart of this new estate is the former Wenzlau property, which Racines now controls through a long-term lease. So far, I have only tasted the Chardonnays and Pinots. Stylistically, the wines are a bit bigger and richer than, for example, the wines Willett makes at Tyler. Some of that, of course, may be attributable to site. The Pinots in particular feel more deeper and more extracted, with greater whole cluster influence and also a bit more density from eighteen months in oak. Needless to say, it will be fascinating to see what the range looks like once the sparkling wines are ready to go.