Never released to the public, this is the wine that started it all. Racines' first release was a single barrel of Sanford & Benedict fruit, a test run of 250-year-old winemaking tradition on a new site in the Sta. Rita Hills' most storied vineyard, Sanford & Benedict. Ten years later, this wine shows all fo the rustic dried cherry notes you expect from this site, but with a bit of herbal power that is a De Montille specialty, largely coming from the 10-year aging of the 30% stem inclusion. Magical, wax-capped (they only did this in year one!) and youthful, this is a Pinot you do not want to miss tasting!
When two of France’s most storied producers unite to create world class wines that rival their homegrown bottlings, the wine world takes notice. Burgundy's Étienne de Montille and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne house, Pierre Peters, settled on the Santa Rita Hills due to its cool climate and highly varied soils. Initially they partnered with Justin Willett (Native9, Tyler) to be their onsite co-producer, but after he purchased Fiddlestix Vyd, they realized that a full-time, ‘in-house’ producer was needed, and pried Ryan Hannaford away from Oregon’s Evening Land and Patricia Green vineyards.
Vintage2016 VarietalPinot Noir AppellationSta. Rita Hills VineyardSanford & Benedict Alcohol13.50% Volume750 ml
