Description
Sandhi is a small production California winery focusing on select vineyards from the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County and was founded in 2010 by sommelier Rajat Parr and esteemed 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.
Pale straw and limpid in the glass, this wine is just as clear, and classic, an example of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay. Green fruits of Bartlett pear and honeydew meet mock orange and a subtle creaminess and spice to deliver a juicy, acid-driven wine of finesse, texture and minerality. Lees influence only enhances this well-rounded profile.
The 2022 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay follows the 2021 bottling with a wine of nearly identical provenance yet a distinct profile. Like the 2021, it was sourced predominantly from Domaine de la Côte, supplemented by William Hines Vineyard. The 2022 growing season began with a short winter followed by a cool summer and spring, before sustained high temperatures hit the Sta. Rita Hills in late August. Luckily, Chardonnay was harvested after this heat spell, and Domaine de la Côte’s position at the far western end of the Sta. Rita Hills, within striking distance of the Pacific Ocean, retained ample acidity and elegance in the grapes. Practicing organic.
