Sandhi

Since 2010, Sandhi Wines has been Rajat Parr & Sashi Moorman's vehicle to unveil the hidden elegance they believe Californian Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is capable of displaying. Through the vector of Santa Rita Hills' unique terroir, Sandhi has brought forth beauty. Their results have been internationally applauded. 

Accolades

This is the soul of the new Santa Barbara.
— Jon Bonné, The New California Wine

These are the wines that eschew the heavy-handed, overripe approach of so many Californian producers. They are beautifully elegant, always refreshing and effortlessly drinkable.
— Jancis Robinson MW

Suffice it to say that the sum of their combined experiences and skills has made Sandhi a paragon of classically styled chardonnays and pinot noirs since its start in 2010.
— Eric Asimov, New York Times

The Origin Story of Sandhi

After searching up and down the California coast, Rajat Parr & Sashi Moorman settled on a narrow slice along Santa Rosa Road for the verve, balance and effortless Pacific breezes of these sites. They named it Sandhi, 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 they found a tremendous opportunity for all of the above.

Beyond estate fruit, Parr & Moorman have the privilege of partnering with historic and distinct sites in Sta. Rita Hills AVA and throughout the Central Coast AVA. The majority of their fruit hails from a stretch just eight miles long, the much lauded Santa Rita Hills, a region so unique that its AVA is cut out from inside the Santa Ynez Valley AVA, itself cut out from the Central Coast AVA. The vines here grow among a mix of marine sedimentary soils as salty ocean fogs and afternoon winds traipse in every day, each plot varying in its unique exposure to all three of these variables. 

The vibrant, aromatic layers of Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay that stopped Rajat in his tracks over 20 years ago are no accident. The extremely long growing season here is defined by these constant cooling breezes coupled with powerful sunshine and well-draining rocky sediments. These factors result in unique Pinots and Chardonnays that carry concentration in one palm and freshness in the other. 

The Philosophy Behind the Sandhi Wines

Sashi & Parr try not to muddy the individuality of their sites. They rely on native yeast and make no additions or subtractions of any kind apart from SO2, a difficult task. Their Chardonnays are fermented and aged in large oak barrels for complexity and texture. Pinot Noir, more delicate in structure and aromatics, sees concrete tank fermentation before a shorter barrel aging.

Too often Sandhi’s wines have been praised by the media in combative terms, pitting them against the over-oaked, weak-acid, boozy Chardonnays of yesterday’s California, but that is perhaps too simplistic. Given the stylistic adjustments of the past decade, it might be more congruent and intuitive to describe Sandhi Wines as one of the early champions for delicacy, joining ranks with a confrérie of Burgundian-inspired like-minds to move the needle. Their wines reveal their terroir masterfully, without recourse to sheer power and amplitude. They’ve been (and continue to be) an important mover and shaker in challenging the California clichés both at home and abroad. 

Fascinated by the great vines and wines of Burgundy, Raj found inspiration in the energetic Chardonnays from Sanford & Benedict Vineyard put forth by producers like the late Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat and The Ojai Vineyard. Then-wine director for Mina Group, the San Francisco-based, award-winning restaurant outfit, these were some of the only California Chardonnay’s to make his wine lists. Not to mention these were Chardonnay’s from what was then, and still is, an area heralded for Pinot Noir.

In 2004 two events in Raj Parr’s life laid the groundwork for Sandhi. First, he met Sashi Moorman—who coincidentally lent a hand to those Ojai Vineyard wines he held in such high regard. Second, Raj decided it was time to take a chance and make some wine of his own. He quickly realized that the cool climate and marine soils in the southern Santa Rita Hills were responsible for the zing and complexity embedded in Sanford & Benedict Chardonnay. Just as immediate was his connection with Sashi, an up-and-coming winemaker with deep knowledge of the area and a like mind for focused, expressive wines that elevate food and enhance conversation.

After bottling their Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay in 2009, Sandhi took off with gusto the following vintage. For nearly 15 years they have followed two principles: purchase Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from well-farmed vineyards, and vinify them gently to reveal the singular coastal beauty and nuance of each site. It’s as conceptually simple and pragmatically complicated as that.

If you'd like to learn more about California's Wines, have a look at www.vinerra.com.

Hear Raj Parr in his own words here on I'll Drink To That! Podcast, here on The Grape Nation Podcast, and here on SOMM TV.

Hear Sashi Moorman in his own words here on I'll Drink To That! Podcast, here (part 1, part 2) on The Viticole Podcast, and here on the Oregon Wine History Archive Podcast.