2018 Racines Wines, Wenzlau Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2018 Chardonnay Wenzlau Family Vineyard speaks with tremendous authority. A wine of real direction and personality, the 2018 has so much going on. Pear, lemon confit, white flowers, crushed rocks and dried herbs are beautifully layered. The 2018 is incredibly nuanced, precise and deep, yet it remains especially sophisticated and polished.
Drink 2021 - 2028
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (August 2020)
About this WINE
Racines Wines
Burgundian winemakers Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve joined with Champagne’s Rodolphe Peters to form Racines, in California’s Santa Rita Hills.
Their aim was to locate a perfect terroir outside of France: one where they could utilise produce stellar Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays, outside the constrictions of their respective French regions.
The cool climate of the Santa Rita Hills provided the perfect terroir for this new venture, given the team’s multi-generational expertise in hand-crafting Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of remarkable purity and elegance. While Santa Rita’s ocean-driven terroir shines through, these wines benefit hugely from being crafted with the technique and expertise of hundreds of years of Burgundian and Champagne winemaking.
Ultimate care is given to the Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes, in order to coax out unique qualities. Whole-cluster fermentation is combined with pigéage throughout the Pinot Noir fermentation, to add spice to a burlier, weighted character. Chardonnay grapes are grown several miles from the ocean in ancient marine sea beds, to give the wines they create a real sense of energy, transparency and precision.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
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Description
There is a fine, restrained yet creamy note to the nose of the 2018 Wenzlau Chardonnay, which is complemented by a juicy Golden Delicious apple bouquet and a delicate stony minerality. The aromas feel wonderfully focused and precise. The palate is bright and lively, a clear step-up in energy from the nose. Notes of delicate white peach and green apple core tease the tastebuds, and the overall impression is that this is a fresh and enticingly vibrant wine.
Drink now-2027
Catriona Felstead MW, Senior Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd (September 2021)
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