Sanskrit for collaboration, Sandhi is a meeting of minds, methods and meticulous practices in the vineyard and the cellar to explore unanswered questions and untapped terroirs. In the Santa Rita Hills we find a tremendous opportunity for all of the above. It was this place–tucked along the southern Central Coast of California, an hour’s drive to any major city but only ten miles from the ocean–that captivated Rajat Parr as a young sommelier two decades ago.
Sandhi
Sandhi "Pinot Noir" Santa Rita Hills, CA 2022
Sandhi "Pinot Noir" Santa Rita Hills, CA 2022
Regular price
$57.00 USD
Regular price
Sale price
$57.00 USD
Unit price
per
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FROM THE PRODUCER
THE WINE: This is our entry level Pinot Noir and is a blend of our vineyard holdings in the Santa Rita Hills. Over half the fruit is from 40 year-old vines at Sanford & Benedict vineyard with the rest coming from our sections and younger vines at Rita’s Crown and Bent Rock. This wine showcases the exuberance of Santa Rita Hills with bright, shiny red crunchy raspberry fruit that is layered with cola spices and tobacco. The wines are delicious now and will age gracefully for another 5-7 years. The appellation Pinot Noir also offers a great introduction to the style of our wines and will assuredly over-deliver for its price.
THE PRODUCER: Sandhi is a small-production winery sourcing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from select vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. After searching up and down the California coast, we settled on a narrow slice along Santa Rosa Road for the verve, balance and effortless Pacific breezes of these sites. It has been our belief that only together can we fully express them.
We consider it a great privilege to partner with historic and distinct sites in Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Covering just eight miles, the vines grow among a mix of marine sedimentary soils and oceanic winds that vary considerably from one plot to the next. It is our aim to translate only those particularities to the finished wine.
The vibrant, aromatic layers of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay that stopped Rajat in his tracks 20 years ago are no accident. Here, our growing season is defined by constant cool breezes, powerful sunshine and rocky soils, all of which come together to produce grapes of equal concentration and freshness. Fermenting them proves it–the levels of pH, alcohol and ripeness found at harvest uncommon to California–and shows quantitatively what makes this place so special.
In the winery, we rely on native yeast and make no additions or subtractions of any kind. Chardonnay is fermented and aged in large oak barrels for complexity and texture. Pinot Noir, more delicate in structure and aromatics, sees concrete tank fermentation before a shorter barrel aging.
