When one of the preeminent names in Burgundy, Étienne de Montille of Domaine de Montille, sought out land on the West Coast of America to craft Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a Burgundian sensibility, it was only natural that he focused on the Santa Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. (It’s a region that seems to pull at French hearts, as it did with the late Philippe Cambie and his joint project with Adam Lee of Siduri, named Beau Marchais.)
 
And draw more Frenchmen, it did. Étienne shared the news with his friend Rodolphe Péters of Champagne’s top-class grower estate, Pierre Peters, who quickly signed on and became the sparkling wine consultant for the project. Étienne partnered with Santa Barbara-area native and winegrower Justin Willett of Tyler Vineyards to manage the project on site.
 
The results? Exquisite and poised, these are wines that wowed even stodgy British palates with their complexity. To quote Beaune Imports, “the cool coastal climate and mineral based soils give [the project’s co-founders] confidence in light of global warming and it’s clear that Justin’s winemaking style would be at home in either Burgundy or Champagne.”
 

 
In Stock and On Sale Now from Racines:
 
Racines Grand Reserve Sparkling Chardonnay, Sta Rita Hills NV 750ml Displayed Price: $66, that’s $62.70 at 5% off and $59.40 at 10% off, 22 bottles in stock now
Decanter 96 points “This is the best American sparkling wine I’ve ever tasted. The 2019 vintage base also includes 25% reserve wines from the 2017 and 2018 harvests. This Grand Reserve Chardonnay made from the cool Sta Rita Hills is crafted with a Champagne pedigree, and it shows. This Blanc de Blancs from across renowned Sta Rita Hills vineyards has undeniable Old World charm and sophistication. The aromatics boast ample toasted biscuit notes and great yeasty complexity from the 30 months on lees. The palate has a fantastic depth of fruit, spiced pear, cardamom, nutmeg and bruised apples. There is a subtlety of savoury biscuits and hints of almond cream. Elegant, yet bold and wildly delicious.”
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 94 points “The NV Sparkling Wine Grand Reserve is the first release in Racines’ sparkling wine project, done in collaboration with Rodolphe Peters. The first thing about the Grand Reserve readers Central Coast need to know is that it is a serious wine that greatly benefits from aeration. In fact, it only improved over the several days I followed it in bottle. My initial impression, however, was far less positive. So patience is key. Rich, ample and creamy with air, the Grand Reserve shows the rich, phenolic, mineral side of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay to great effect. Moreover, it has all the elements that are so often missing in the new wave of California sparkling wines, namely a fine mousse, good mid-palate depth and a long finish. The Racines sparkling wine is a work in progress, but the debut release is hugely promising.”
 
Racines ‘Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée’ Chardonnay 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $55, that’s $52.25 at 5% off and $49.50 at 10% off, 32 bottles in stock now
Decanter 93 points “A wonderfully complex wine with ample texture. The Sta Rita Hills Cuvée is sourced from some of Santa Barbara’s top Chardonnay sites. The wine sees very little new oak and, as a result, shines forth with delicate brilliance—classically cool climate Chardonnay aromatics of soft white florals, crushed chalk and a touch of mint. The palate has verve and energy with savoury petrichor-driven minerality coming to the fore, followed on by bruised apples, a touch of cardamom and honey to finish adding depth and complexity along the way.”
 
Racines Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $99, that’s $94.05 at 5% off and $89.10 at 10% off, 5 bottles in stock now
Decanter 95 points “The historic Chardonnay parcel of original and own-rooted plantings dates back to 1971. These Chardonnay vines are the oldest vines in the Sta. Rita Hills Racy, yet richly textured and effusively aromatic, this wine shows a serious old vine complexity and the coastal influence of Santa Barbara county terroir. Aromatics of bruised apples and petrichor are punctuated by notes of sea foam and smoke. The palate is energised by savoury briny citrus and crushed chalk. Electric acidity amplifies the wines mineral character with hints of smoke and crushed limestone with hints of grilled lime and green mango. A revelatory California Chardonnay.”
 
Racines Wenzlau Family Vineyard Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $89, that’s $84.55 at 5% off and $80.10 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
Decanter 95 points “Beguiling complexity, depth and beauty mark this outstanding Chardonnay from the Wenzlau Family Vineyard in the Sta Rita Hills. In a year when so many of California’s wine regions were devastated by smoke, this wine shows a fresh, airy poise—delicate and precise aromas of crushed chalk, petrichor, sweet white flower pollen and hints of seaspray. The palate is exquisite; a sophistication of flavours and textures collide. A savoury, briny minerality outlines apricot skin, early-season nectarine and subtle hints of bee pollen. The finish is fine, filigreed and fresh.”
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 94 points “The 2020 Chardonnay Wenzlau Family Vineyard is one of the highlights in this range from Racines. Bright and dynamic, the 2020 is fresh, complex and also quite structured, making for a wonderfully complete wine that captures the essence of this rugged Sta. Rita Hills site. Readers should expect an intensely mineral, savory Chardonnay. I loved it.”
 
Racines ‘Sta. Rita Hills Cuvee’ Pinot Noir 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $54.50, that’s $51.78 at 5% off and $49.05 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
Antonio Galloni-Vinous 93 points “The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills Cuvée is a terrific introduction to the range. Crushed red berry fruit, mint, spice, rose petal and a touch of whole cluster savoriness are all beautifully delineated. This is suh a gorgeous and expressive Pinot.”
 
Racines ‘Sainte Rose’ Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hill 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $79, that’s $75.05 at 5% off and $71.10 at 10% off, 11 bottles in stock now
Decanter 94 points “From organic vineyards along the Santa Rosa Road corridor, this Pinot Noir from Racines is a straightforward cooler site Pinot Noir from Sta Rita Hills. Aromas of strawberry fruit leather give way to notes of turned earth and crushed black basalt. The palate is savoury, with underlying dried fruit flavours. Montmorency cherries, garden soil and clove, evolve into notes of savoury herbs and streaks of graphite minerality.”
 
Racines La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills 2018 750ml Displayed Price: $99, that’s $94.05 at 5% off and $89.10 at 10% off, 3 bottles in stock now
Decanter 96 points “This Sta. Rita Hills-focused label between Justin Willett and Étienne de Montille takes a ‘low and slow’ approach to the winemaking process, contrasting the relatively delicate, high-toned style of the Tyler wines. Pinot Noir at La Rinconada Vineyard tends to exude a burly and structured style, as is the case with the 2018 Racines bottling. Sourced from a plot just feet away from that which supplies Tyler, a savoury and soft nose introduces a weighty, wide and tannic showing that is built to last. Drinking Window 2022 – 2045.”
 
Racines Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills 2020 750ml Displayed Price: $115, that’s $109.25 at 5% off and $103.50 at 10% off, 11 bottles in stock now
Decanter 94 points “From organic vineyards along the Santa Rosa Road corridor, this Pinot Noir from Racines is a straightforward cooler site Pinot Noir from Sta Rita Hills. Aromas of strawberry fruit leather give way to notes of turned earth and crushed black basalt. The palate is savoury, with underlying dried fruit flavours. Montmorency cherries, garden soil and clove, evolve into notes of savoury herbs and streaks of graphite minerality.”
 

 
It’s been nearly a decade since the wizard German wine importers at Vom Boden have picked up a new estate. Whatever could appeal to these masters of the Mosel and beyond, importer who introduced America to the wonders of Keller, Peter Lauer, and Emrich-Schönleber? How is there new ground to trod in the Mosel, after all, a region that has been heralded for centuries?
 
Tucked in the upper Mosel, north of the more famous Mittelmosel, is the village of Thörnich. Wines here have a more Saar-like profile with structured, tense wines. Here, the Ludes family have crafted wines in the same style since Hermann founded in the estate in the 1950s. In the Grand Cru vineyard, Ritsch, the family crafts wines uninfluenced by modern preferences for ripe and plush wines. Instead, the wines are, as Stephen from Vom Boden puts it, “rustic, transparent, bracing – even a touch brutal” that speak in a “faceted, crystalline and largely mineral-and-earth driven language.”
 
They bottle by parcel (see the photograph from Vom Boden), and most of their holdings are old, ungrafted parcels. Vines here average 75-years-old. The estate rarely crafts much above Kabinett, preferring its style (“the greatest on earth,” per third generation winemaker Julian Ludes). But that doesn’t mean the wines lack substance and complexity. Their standards are almost ridiculously high. In vintages where they don’t like the resulting wines, they sell them off in bulk in their entirety rather than compromise their name for profit.
 
How can these wines remain so affordable to us consumers? The estate must exist out of time, and our intrepid importers must have stumbled across it like as though they wandered into Brigadoon. And just as these wines themselves seem to be from another age, give them a nice sleep in your cellar if you can. Let them dream their dreams of decades past and they’ll reward you with a vision in your future.
 

 
In Stock and On Sale Now from Hermann Ludes:
 
Weingut Hermann Ludes ‘Hermann’ Riesling, Mosel 2022 750ml $21.90 special, that’s $20.81 at 5% off and $19.71 at 10% off, 9 bottles in stock now
“The 2022 Hermann, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is a barely off-dry wine (with 9 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit mainly harvested in the steep part Klüsserather Bruderschaft. It proves quite herbal, smoky, and spicy at first, before revealing direct notes of earthy spices, greengage, lemon curd, and yellow flowers. The wine proves tight and herbal on the straightforward and zesty palate. It proves a little bit smoother in the nicely animating finish. The aftertaste is still quite tart and already more dry-tasting than off-dry. This is a very good light and racy dry-tasting Riesling. 2024-2032” -Mosel Fine Wines
 
Weingut Hermann Ludes Riesling, Mosel 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $18 special, that’s $17.10 at 5% off and $16.20 at 10% off, 22 bottles in stock now
“The 2022 Mosel, as it is simply referred to on the consumer label, is an off-dry wine (with 24 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit harvested in the Thörnicher Schiesslay. The first nose is very smoky (bacon), with, after a few minutes’ aeration, notes of earthy herbs, potpourri, yellow peach, greengage, and spearmint. The palate brings plenty of fresh yellow fruits, with a touch of creaminess and juiciness. The finish is clean and light. This light off-dry Riesling is simply delicious. 2024-2032” -Mosel Fine Wines
 

 
Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Riesling, Mosel 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $24 special, that’s $22.80 at 5% off and $21.60 at 10% off, 12 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 90 points “The 2022 Thörnicher, as it is referred to on the consumer label, is an off-dry wine (with 12 g/l of residual sugar) made from fruit harvested in the steep parts of the Enggass and Ritsch. Restrained at first, the nose reveals fine herbaceous and lemony notes, with anise, smoke, flintstone, fine spices, white peach, cardamom, and mint. The wine is deliciously fresh and slightly juicy on the palate, with plenty of spices and a saline edge which gives tension to the very delicate and precise finish. The aftertaste is dry-tasting and superbly airy. This dry-tasting Riesling is remarkably elegant and fresh. 2024-2035+”
 

 
Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett Feinherb “Gackes Unten”, Mosel 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $33 special, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 35 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 93 points “The 2022er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett Feinherb “Gackes Unten” was made from fruit harvested at 81° Oechsle on largely un-grafted old vines in the middle front part of the vineyard part of the vineyard and was fermented down to off-dry levels of residual sugar (22 g/l). The nose is initially very closed, with only residues from its spontaneous fermentation, giving a very smoky and herbaceous aspect. It takes a few minutes in the glass for it to show its complexity, with notes of cassis, wild strawberry, candied grapefruit, fine spices, aniseed herbs, and fresh herbs. The wine has superb balance on the palate, with finesse but also intensity and grip. The finish is very long, chiseled, and refreshing. What a gloriously light yet deep expression of dry-tasting Kabinett! 2025-2037”
 

 
Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett Feinherb “Gackes Oben”, Mosel 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 35 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2022er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett Feinherb “Gackes Oben” was made from fruit harvested at 77° Oechsle on 70-75-year-old vines in the upper front part of the vineyard and was fermented down to off-dry levels of residual sugar (17 g/l). The nose immediately captures one’s attention as it offers plenty of refreshing and airy elements of anise, minty herbs, spearmint, candied citrusy elements, orange blossom, and aniseed, all wrapped in a blanket of fine slatey smoke. The wine is vibrant on the palate as plenty of spicy and zesty flavors, which give it a superbly dynamic and focused edge. The finish is chiseled, focused, and superbly long. The aftertaste is marked by smoke, lime, and ginger-driven spices, and above all shows huge energy. This is a splendid dry-tasting and racy wine, made for lovers of straightforward and sharp Riesling. It only needs a few years to round off its edges. 2026-2037”
 

 
Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett -t- “Im Schneidersberg”, Mosel 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $33, that’s $31.35 at 5% off and $29.70 at 10% off, 23 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 91 points “The 2022er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett -t- “Im Schneidersberg” was made from fruit harvested at 78° Oechsle on 80-85-year-old vines in this prime Lieu-Dit and was fermented down to off-dry levels of residual sugar (15 g/l). The nose is captivating from the start, with hints of bacon smoke, residual spontaneous fermentation, and lots of fine spices. Then come aromas of vineyard peach, dried white flowers, gunflint, lime, grapefruit, and gooseberry. The wine comes over as straightforward and lean on the palate, with dynamism provided by some salivating acidity. The finish is taut, long, and tart, and clearly still austere. It will need a few years to soften. This lively, airy, and racy dry wine is remarkable, and will appeal to fans of this style. 2025-2035+”
 

 
Weingut Hermann Ludes Thörnicher Ritsch Kabinett “Terrassen”, Mosel 2022 750ml Displayed Price: $29, that’s $27.55 at 5% off and $26.10 at 10% off, 35 bottles in stock now
Mosel Fine Wines 94 points “The 2022er Thörnicher Ritsch Riesling Kabinett “Terrassen” was made from fruit harvested at 80° Oechsle in the terraced part on 75-80-year-old vines in the central part of the vineyard and was fermented down to barely fruity-styled levels of residual sugar (40 g/l). The first nose is still a little reduced, with herbaceous and smoky notes, mostly coming from its spontaneous fermentation. After a few minutes in the glass, it develops splendid complexity, with fine notes of bergamot, lemon, yellow flowers, vineyard peach, menthol, fresh herbs, and fine spices. The wine is airy and finely fruity on the palate, with sappy yellow peach adding creaminess and juiciness. The finish is remarkably light, yet intense and very long. This is a remarkable Kabinett from the 2022 vintage. 2030-2042+”