Sahndi small-batch wines
Sandhi is a small-production winery sourcing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from select vineyards in the Santa 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 is their belief that only together can we fully express them.
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 Chardonnay
California Sun & Coastal Chill
Apricot, Asian pear, orange blossom and wet stone. Well-integrated oak provides some weight, and a creamy texture the acidity and gives it a vibrancy and life. An affable, food-friendly Chardonnay.
In the vineyards of the Central Coast (Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties) the cooling proximity to the ocean is vital during the spring and summer, considering the intense heat spikes. The result is Chardonnay at optimal ripeness, textured and rich with a classic mineral backbone.
Winemaking Philosophy
Sahndi considers it a great privilege to partner with historic and distinct sites in Santa 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 their aim to translate only those particularities to the finished wine.
The vibrant, aromatic layers of Santa 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 are uncommon to California–and shows quantitatively what makes this place so special.