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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 92.1 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 20 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 8/19/2016 & rated 91 points: This Cali Chard is really good, but I am becoming super-sensitive to even the most deft use of oak these days.
The nose shows mature red apples (slightly bruised), with vanilla bean, graphite, and kiwi.
The palate is an echo from the nose, showing a wine fairly full in body, nicely mature, with red apple and pear fruit notes, followed by creme brulee, poured over rocks. Quite interesting, very tasty, but a little too intense on the caramel and vanilla notes for me to rate this 93+.
Drink now through 2018. Really nice. (2571 views) | | | Tasted by Jbird73 on 2/27/2016 & rated 92 points: Really enjoyable. Drink up. The fruit is more pronounced as the acidity is starting to fade a little bit. (2679 views) | | | Tasted by Jbird73 on 1/18/2016 & rated 91 points: Still really enjoyable but yet a tick further down the meter...I say drink now...no sense in waiting. (2835 views) | | | Tasted by paydon9 on 12/20/2015 & rated 91 points: Pear, peach, flowers, some flint/smoke on the nose. Light-med body, featuring pear, peach, some spice tones and a creamy mid-palate and focused finish of sweet citrus. This has mellowed quite a bit since my last go round with this wine 2.5 years ago, but still has the acidic spine that I crave in a chard. (2844 views) | | | Tasted by Jbird73 on 7/13/2015 & rated 92 points: Opened another to give a "check-up" on this one. It is maybe a tick below what I remember...perhaps I'm just drinking better these days. No matter what this is still a great bottle of wine to me and if really enjoyable. Still has that sharp acidity at the beginning but receded more quickly than before (about an hour of air time). This seems like plenty of life left but also drinking very well right now too. (2975 views) | | | Tasted by drrobvino on 1/23/2015 & rated 91 points: Rich nose of ripe lemon, flowers, honey, steel and chalk. Palate is med+ in body, creamy lemon and tart pear flavors, with a seed/woody pit sensation and a nice mineral concentration. There is a med+ finish showing some tangerine sweetness full of energy and poise.
This Chard is drinking nicely now, but will probably further improve with another year in bottle, and drink well through 2018. (1403 views) | | | Tasted by floydtp on 4/5/2014 & rated 93 points: Liquid Farm / Chard Double Blind- Dallas (Classic Wine Storage- Dallas): Wine #11 in a line up of 15 blind chards (preceded by Wilde Farm Brosseau 2012. The nose of floral, honeysuckle and lemons. More of the same on the palate with the addition of some spice that carries through the medium plus length finish. Very little oak influence. Medium acidity. Really enjoyed this one. (2518 views) | | | Tasted by Jbird73 on 11/15/2013 & rated 93 points: Same rating but this time I corked half the bottle for 3 days (back in cellar to stay cool) and it was magnificent still. Some of the crisp zingy acidity had receded and the feel of the wine was more silky and smooth but the finish was even better and quite simply still a great chardonnay at a fair price! (2068 views) | | | Tasted by paydon9 on 8/3/2013: Fairly pale gold-yellow. Nose offers pear, honey, light floral notes and some buttered toast. Great mouth feel with lemony citrus leading the way for a medium-long finish heavy on the mineral/stone side. Simply put, delicious. (2106 views) | | | Tasted by rossi.wine on 6/27/2013 & rated 91 points: Quite old-world in style with an excellent intriguing oaky nose, buttery, great ripe notes of fruit. Really fresh on the palate, a bit too much for my taste, spicy, white stone fruit... finishes quite tangy and acidic but still very nice. (2130 views) | | | Tasted by Jbird73 on 3/9/2013 & rated 93 points: Light to medium straw color in the glass. Nose is full of green fruits and very inviting. The mouthfeel is where this wine comes alive. Bright acidity that even hits at the front of the tongue. Phenomenal mid palate concentration and a lovely finish. The balance is great. I really really like this wine. Paired great with some grilled halibut with grilled yellow orange and red peppers. Absolutely the opposite of the old school buttery California Chardonnay. This is one of my favorite white wines in some time. (2072 views) | | | Tasted by Biggsy on 2/14/2013 & rated 92 points: Noticeable more golden coloured than the Santa Barbera and the Bent Rock. Quite a delicate restrained nose. Good poise with zippy acidity and a little grip but huge density of flavour. Very long through the palate with notes of candied lemon and a dominant, and very tasty, salted popcorn flavour. Excellent. (1614 views) | | | Tasted by MattMauldin on 1/31/2013 & rated 93 points: Tasting at The Watering Hole- Sandhi & other Terroir Selections (Los Olivos, CA): Light gold in the glass. Hints of creme fraiche & butter toffee, tropical fruit and melon charms the bouquet. Silky & bright palate with earth and mineral influence along with bright citrus & melon and hints of spice. Beautifully sleek on the palate with a full breathy finish. Outstanding. (2086 views) | | | Tasted by ErikMercier on 11/19/2012 & rated 92 points: The nose has hints of caramel, peanut brittle, salted popcorn and baked pear. The palate is almost velvety, balanced by a tingling acidity. The profile and weight are all truly Californian, but the restraint and nuance seem much more old world. (1352 views) | | | Tasted by Chains1966 on 11/4/2012 & rated 94 points: Pears, granny smith apples and crushed rock. This baby taste's like it is from Burgundy not the hills of California. As it warms a touch of tartness but nice not overwhelming!! Very Good Bravo Rajat and Sashi!! (1498 views) | | | Tasted by rjonwine@gmail.com on 3/19/2012 & rated 91 points: 2012 In Pursuit of Balance Tasting (Julia Morgan Ballroom, Merchants Exchange Building, San Francisco, California): Light yellow color; floral, ripe lemon, orange blossom nose; creamy textured, tart citrus, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points (4069 views) |
| By John Szabo, MS
WineAlign (7/24/2014)
(Sandhi Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County white) Subscribe to see review text. | By Julia Harding, MW
JancisRobinson.com (9/30/2013)
(Sandhi, Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/12/2013)
(Sandhi, Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (2/12/2013)
(Sandhi, Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Josh Raynolds
Vinous, November/December 2012, IWC Issue #165
(Sandhi Wines Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, California's Central Coast: Better than Ever (Aug 2012)
(Sandhi Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Sta. Rita Hills) Subscribe to see review text. | By Jancis Robinson, MW
JancisRobinson.com (5/7/2012)
(Sandhi, Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay Sta Rita Hills White) Subscribe to see review text. | By Richard Jennings
RJonWine.com (3/19/2012)
(Sandhi Wines Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict Vineyard) Light yellow color; floral, ripe lemon, orange blossom nose; creamy textured, tart citrus, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ points 91 points |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and JancisRobinson.com and Vinous and RJonWine.com. (manage subscription channels) |
| Sandhi Wines producer website
Sandhi is a small-scale producer in Santa Rita Hills, California.
The winery was founded by legendary sommelier Rajat Parr and winemaker Sashi Moorman.
Sandhi wants to represent the sacred union between man, earth and vine needed to create the best wines. The focus is mainly on chardonnay and pinot noir from Santa Barbara County and the vineyard locations are carefully selected for their unique qualities and personalities.
The wines are often described as being able to beat many great Burgundians in blind tastings and really show off the expressiveness and elegance that California has to offer.
These finer edge qualities are no surprise as the majority of the fruit is from the Domaine de la Cote estate vineyards, home to some of the country's rarest and most high-toned Pinots.
Tasting Note
Beetroot, cherry and plum flavours are most in evidence along with a developing gamey, autumnal note that will develop further in time.
A contradictory Pinot of purity and depth.
About Sandhi
Sandhi is the partner wine label to Domaine de la Cote, founded by Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman in the Santa Rita Hills area of Santa Barbara, up the coast from Los Angeles.
Sandhi are generally more approachable wines, to the palate and the wallet, than Domaine de la Cote, and explore the potential of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from across Santa Barbara and California.
Sandhi means 'treaty' or 'alliance' in Sanskrit, to represent the partnerships he has formed with local, sustainable grape growers who supply much of the fruit for Sandhi wines.Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeSanford & Benedict VineyardIn 1970 pioneer winemaker, Richard Sanford, and botanist, Michael Benedict, planted the Sanford & Benedict vineyard, the first Pinot Noir vineyard in the region. At the time, vineyards in this area were unheard of. The local farmers warned, “Grapes will never grow around here”. But, with his degree from UC Berkeley in geography, Richard felt that the soil and climate of this portion of the Santa Ynez Valley were a close parallel to Burgundy, home of the Pinot Noir Richard was hoping he could produce here in California. After five years of passionate work in their vineyard, the first Sanford & Benedict wines were released in 1976 to rave reviews.
Planted in 1971 by the legendary and pioneering Richard Sanford, this site represents the oldest Pinot Noir plantings in all of Santa Barbara County and is largely synonymous with the creation of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation.
Tucked into the southeastern corner of the Sta. Rita Hills with north-facing blocks, this vineyard is planted on hard, silica gravel and well-drained soils. Because of Richard Sanford’s legacy within the region both as a farmer and a gentlemen, we feel honored to be working with the fruit that he first planted.
Our rows come from the oldest blocks where the vine trunks are gnarled producing small amounts of beautiful, concentrated and textured fruit. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir blocks are both from the Mount Eden selection, which is widely considered to be some of the first cuttings brought into California.
USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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