2020 Racines, Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, California, USA

Description

Proportion of whole-bunch pressing varies; similar to burgundy. Fermentation in open vats from Burgundy for two weeks. No racking after malo. Aged on fine lees only for 14–18 months in 228-litre barrels. Then they rack and keep only very fine lees during a month in tank. 15–20 mg/l SO2. 15,000 bottles, and they export 60% via the de Montille burgundy network.

Lively, fresh citrus nose. Lovely texture. Light bitterness on the end. Racy and open and friendly. Quite long.

Drink 2022 - 2026

Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (August 2023)

Colour White

Sweetness Dry

Vintage 2020

Maturity Ready - at best

Grape List Chardonnay

Body Full Bodied

Producer Racines Wines

About this wine

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.

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