| Region of production: | Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara County |
| Winery Location: | Lompoc |
| Year Established: | 2010 |
Vineyard Holdings
All sourced vineyards
- Bentrock (Sta. Rita Hills AVA)
- Rita’a Crown (Sta. Rita Hills AVA)
- Sanford & Benedict (Sta. Rita Hills AVA)
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Sandhi Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills AVA): Inaugural vintage 2009.
- Bentrock (Sta. Rita Hills AVA): Inaugural vintage 2010.
- Rita’s Crown (Sta. Rita Hills AVA): Inaugural vintage 2010.
- Sanford & Benedict (Sta. Rita Hills AVA): Inaugural vintage 2009.
- Mt. Carmel (Sta. Rita Hills AVA): Inaugural Vintage 2013.
Average Total Production
- 84,000 bottles (36,000 bottles Chardonnay)
Summary
Founded in 2010 by Rajat Parr (Former Beverage Director for the Mina Group and co-author of “Secrets of the Sommeliers”), Charles Banks (former owner of Jonata and Screaming Eagle), and winemaker Sashi Moorman. The first vintage was made at Evening Land Vineyards in Oregon in 2009. Barrels from the first vintage were purchased back from Evening Land in 2010 when Sandhi was officially established. Sandhi’s mission is to make wines that clearly define the vineyards from which they come in a manner not obscured by extreme ripeness, new oak, or winemaking manipulation.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Sandhi takes full advantage of their cooler climate environment aiming to create a style defined by minerality and acidity over fruit. The fruit for Sandhi is typically harvested weeks before many other producers in the area. After long, slow press cycles the juice is transferred into neutral oak and concrete vessels. Wild yeast fermentation is standard, with restrictive use of new French Oak (maximum 30%). Chardonnay goes through full malolactic fermentation but winemaker Sashi avoids bâtonnage. White wines undergo a light fining and filtering before bottling.
Producer Website: Sandhi