At Gaspars, we select producers for one reason above all else: they express their terroir with authenticity. This philosophy naturally led us to Racines—a project that perfectly complements our portfolio of Burgundy, grower Champagne and Portugal.
Located on California's Central Coast, Sta. Rita Hills is one of the coolest and most distinctive wine regions in the United States. Unlike much of California, its east-west mountain range opens directly to the Pacific Ocean, allowing cool maritime winds and fog to flow deep into the vineyards every day. The long growing season, together with marine limestone, shale and sandy soils, creates wines of remarkable freshness, minerality and precision, making Sta. Rita Hills one of the world's finest terroirs for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
The influence of the ocean is a common thread throughout our collection. Just as the Atlantic shapes the wines of the Azores, Vinho Verde and Bairrada, the Pacific defines the character of Sta. Rita Hills, producing wines with the same tension, freshness and sense of place.
Racines is a unique collaboration between two of France's greatest wine traditions. Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve bring generations of Burgundian expertise in crafting world-class still Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, while Rodolphe Péters, one of Champagne's leading grower-producers, contributes his deep understanding of Chardonnay and traditional-method sparkling wine. Together, they embarked on a new adventure—not to recreate Burgundy or Champagne in America, but to discover a terroir capable of expressing the same ideals of purity, elegance and precision.
The result is a collection where the still wines naturally echo the finesse, minerality and transparency of great Burgundy, while the sparkling wines reflect the tension, freshness and refined texture that have made grower Champagne so highly respected. They are unmistakably Californian in origin, yet profoundly European in philosophy.
For us, Racines is a natural extension of our portfolio. It connects Burgundy, Champagne and California through a shared belief that exceptional wines are born from extraordinary terroirs, thoughtful viticulture and the curiosity to explore beyond traditional boundaries.
