Sandhi, Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills, California, 2022

Overview of the Wine
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 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.

Winemaker
DJ Bilsky

Grape / Blend
100% Chardonnay

Origin
Santa Barbara, California

Tasting Notes
Mineral-driven aromas of sandstone and damp earth meet with lemon peel and crisp apple on the nose. The palate is grippy in texture, showing citrus, melon and appetizing sea-salt flavors.

95 Points - James Suckling
Apricot, pineapple, tart-tatin and candied-apple aromas. Full and fine tannins. Bright acidity and a tangy finish with pie crust and salted caramel. Drink or hold.

93 Points - Wine Enthusiast
This bottling offers a more affordable and widely available means of sampling what this brand is doing. Mineral-driven aromas of sandstone and damp earth meet with lemon peel and crisp apple on the nose. The palate is grippy in texture, showing citrus, melon and appetizing sea-salt flavors. Editors™ Choice. 

92 Points - Wine Spectator
Opens with a mouthwatering mix of Meyer lemon, pomelo, freshly grated ginger, Honeycrisp apple and green tea flavors. Hints of toasted herbs, sea salt and orange zest linger on the finish. Drink now. 1,202 cases made.

91 Points - Wine Advocate
Sourced from selections planted at Domaine de la Côte, the 2022 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is more floral than saline on the nose, introducing a focused, laser-like palate whose precision overdelivers for a regional wine. It finishes with a lovely textural richness framed with an oceanic lift, making for a charming and accurate showing of the Sta. Rita Hills.

90 Points - Vinous
The 2022 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is a tense, finely-cut Chardonnay. Bright citrus peel, white flowers, chalk, mint and white pepper lend notable brilliance throughout. All of this fruit is from Domaine de la Côte.

Product size: 750ml