Santa Rita Hills ‘Rinconada‘ - Chardonnay (20)

Chardonnay | single vineyard | Rinconada grenst aan de westkant van Sanford & Benedict | silica gravel en kalkbodem | ungrafted stokken, geplant in 1971 | gisting en rijping voor 10 maanden in 500 liter hout, 20% nieuw | daarna 6 maanden rijping in rvs | heel serieuze wijn | notig | floraal | peer | kamille | limoen | vol | zacht fruit | vlezig | lang

Sanford & Benedict
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.

Sandhi

Sandhi is een project wat in 2010 gestart is door Rajat Parr (top sommelier) en Sashi Moorman (wijnmaker). Zij zagen in Santa Barbara een plek waar Charadonnay en Pinot Noir gemaakt kunnen worden die net zo elegant zijn als wijnen uit Europa. Santa Barbara County ligt in het zuiden van Californië en heeft 5 AVA’s waarvan Santa Rita Hill’s voor Sandhi het belangrijkste is. Daar zijn ze opzoek gegaan naar wijngaarden met oude stokken en met noordelijke expositie. Het is in de Santa Rita Hill’s (relatief) koel en er is veel afkoeling door wind van de stille oceaan. 

De wijnen worden allemaal vergist met druifeigen gisten en verder wordt er niets toegevoegd (behalve wat sulfiet), rijping gebeurt op beton en een klein deel nieuw Frans hout. De wijnen van Chardonnay krijgen altijd malolactische gisting, maar geen battonnage. In principe is alle Pinot Noir whole bunch, dus niet ontsteeld. Rajat en Sashi vinden dat daardoor de wijnen levendiger zijn en meer ze een complexe structuur hebben.

Review

The 2020 Chardonnay La Rinconada is creamy and open-knit, both of which makes it a fine choice for drinking now and over the next handful of years. Silky contours wrap around a core of apricot, tangerine, chamomile and lightly floral overtones. All the elements are so well balanced. The Rinconada is a wine of total harmony and sensuality. 94/100 - By Antonio Galloni on June 2022

My tasting at Sandhi was one of the highlights of my trip to Santa Barbara. These days, most of the focus is on Chardonnay. Readers will find a number of superb choices, from the appellation-level wines all the way up to the vineyard designates. The 2020s spent 10-11 months in oak, followed by four months in tank, and were bottled in February/March 2022. Specifically, the natural intensity of the year is such a fine complement to a house style that emphasizes freshness. The Pinots are attractive as well, with the 2020 Rim Rock Pinot the star, and the 2021 appellation wine a terrific example of the year. Today, the Pinots see a pretty healthy amount of whole clusters, 50% for the appellation wine and 100% for the vineyard designates, a change from a few years ago, when there was less stem influence. All that said, these are details more than anything else. From top to bottom, this is a terrific set of wines from Sandhi.