Sandhi Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay

The second project of Domaine de la Côte's terroir obsessed Rajat Parr and Sashi Moorman, Sandhi, Sanskrit for 'partnership' looks at the Burgundian potential of Santa Barbara's Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards. This is top quality.

Sandhi is a small-production winery sourcing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from select vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. 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 the winemakers have found 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.

In the winery, they rely on native yeast and make no additions or subtractions of any kind. Chardonnay is fermented and aged in large oak barrels for complexity and texture. They believe less is more and prefer to emphasize the attributes of a place over the tools in a building. The wines have always been grown and made in small quantities to maximize quality and transparency at every step.