From: California, USA
Varietal: Chardonnay
Sandhi is a small production California winery focusing on select vineyards from the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. Sandhi was founded in 2010 by Rajat Parr, the wine director for Michael Mina Restaurants, and winemaker, Sashi Moorman. Sandhi represents a union essential to the production of wine: the collaboration between man, earth, and vine. The willing participation of all three elements is necessary to make great wine, and the winegrower must make this collaboration rich and nourishing for all involved. An understanding of these joint efforts informs Sandhi’s exploration of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines throughout the Santa Barbara County terroir. The individual vineyards from which these grapes originate–some legendary, some new–have been exhaustively vetted for the character, personality, and balance. Employing the wisdom and talents of people who know the vineyards, Sandhi is dedicated to making wines of finesse, minerality, acidity, structure, and balance. Wine achieves power and beauty through the seamless integration of these qualities, and this is the inspiration for Sandhi. Wines exhibiting extreme ripeness, alcohol, oak, and other discordant exaggerations cannot truly express a specific vineyards terroir.
Tasting Notes: The 2019 vintage is the first release of Central Coast Chardonnay. The vineyard sites are now mostly planted to older vines across a broader array of microclimates and soils. This brings character and depth to the 2019 Central Coast Chardonnay. The partner growers do not use herbicides or chemical fertilizers. This is not just a philosophical choice, it also yields wines with more energy and complexity.
Pairing: Grilled Spot Prawns
