2012 Sandhi Chardonnay (Santa Barbara County)

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$29.95 (retail) Wine Club pricing reflected in receipt

This winery is a partnership between two rock stars of the wine world, neither of whom actually makes wine.  First, there is Rajat Parr, wine director for the Mina Group based in San Francisco with two joints, Michael Mina and Clock Bar.  Others are scattered around the country in cities including Las Vegas, Miami, Washington, D.C., Seattle, Detroit and Los Angeles.  He is also co-author of the James Beard-award-winning Secrets of the Sommelier, of which he is one of the foremost in the business.

Former Screaming Eagle co-owner Charles Banks is partner in the venture.  Hooked up in two ventures in South Africa as well as Leviathan domestically, Banks is senior editor of Fine Wine Magazine, a title with 2 million subscribers worldwide.

Handling winemaking is Sashi Moorman, a native Californian who earned his chops over five years at Ojai Vineyard before moving on to Stolpman.  An unlikely graduate of Vassar College, Moorman worked in restaurants as a sous chef before shifting gears into wine.  He and his wife, Melissa, produce their own wine under the Piedrasassi brand.

Winery Tasting Notes:  “The 2012 Santa Barbara County Chardonnay is a blend from different vineyards in Santa Ynez Valley and Sta. Rita Hills. Vineyard sources include: Gainey, Zaca Mesa, Rita’s Crown, Rinconada, Bentrock, Sebastiano, and Sanford & Benedict. The average vine age is 25 years old. The wine was aged for 10 months in barrel and finally racked to stainless steel tanks and bottled with a light fining. The wine is soft and unctuous with flavors of lemon, orange, honey and raw almonds. We expect the wine to drink well young and age for 3-5 years.”

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