Introducing Sandhi Wines to Alberta

We’ve received 10 cases each of their Central Coast Chardonnay, Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay, and Santa Rita Hills Pinot Noir. These wines are highly coveted. We get very small allocations. So if you are so lucky to see these bottles on a shelf, grab them while you can. Or, reach out to us and we'll guide you as to where you maybe able to enjoy these wines or buy them.

Accolades for the Sandhi Wines

"This is the soul of the new Santa Barbara."
— Jon Bonné

"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



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 to varying greatly 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

They try not to muddy this in the cellar, relying strictly on native yeast and making no additions or subtractions of any kind. 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 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 conférie 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 Au Bon Climat and The Ojai Vineyard. Then-wine director for Mina Group, the San Francisco-based, award-winning restaurant group, 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’s life laid the groundwork for Sandhi. He met Sashi Moorman–who coincidentally lent a hand to those Ojai Vineyard wines–and decided to make some of his own. Raj quickly realized a 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 responsibly-farmed vineyards, and vinify them gently to reveal the singular coastal beauty and nuance of each site.

In-Depth Guides:

Explore the wonderful California Coast wine region and develop deep insights and knowledge via the in-depth profiles on www.vinerra.com:

• California Wine Region 
• Santa Rita Hills AVA Region
• Central Coast AVA Region
• Santa Ynez Valley AVA Regions

SANDHI WINES

Alberta CSPC/SKU #100436

2021 Central Coast Chardonnay 

The 2021 Central Coast Chardonnay embodies an almost perfect growing season showing notes of ripe pear and apple backed by a fresh structure of well balanced acidity. The wine lingers through the broad finish with concentrated citrus, fine minerality and light-footed fade that belies the richness of fruit.

Region:  Central Coast, California

Appellation:  Central Coast AVA

Altitude:  Various

Soils:  Various

Varietal:  100% Chardonnay

Fermentation:  Indigenous fermentation in stainless steel.

Ageing:  Aged 6 months in 30% neutral oak and 70% stainless steel. Full MLF.

Vineyard & Vine Age:  Fruit sourced from outstanding vineyards up and down the coast: Greengate: 27%, Bien Nacido: 18%, Spanish Springs: 14%, Talley: 13%, Sandhi's Sta. Rita Hills Estate-Grown Fruit: 11%.

ABV:  13%

Produced Cases:  10,000

Alberta CSPC/SKU #100437

2021 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay

The 2021 vintage benefited from a long, steady growing season with no significant heat spikes and a harvest that allowed for planned and methodical picking of the fruit at just the right moment. We relied predominantly on Domaine de la Côte parcels for this vintage, as well as sources from other important growers in the appellation. This lively and focused Chardonnay brims with concentrated fruit, lemon curd, warm brioche, gun flint, and a saline minerality that appears on the finish.

“Tasted at the beginning of 2023, a reductive quality was still obscuring bright, penetrating green apple and kiwi fl avours with a smoky, earthen veil. Still, it’s a gorgeously sleek, richly textured wine with a pulsating core of acidity and salty mineral intensity. Drink 2025 - 2040” — Decanter, 94 points

Region:  Sta. Rita Hills, California

Appellation:  Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Altitude:  ~200m

Soils:  Sedimentary soils with patches of diatomaceous earth and limestone.

Blend:  100% Chardonnay

Fermentation:  Indigenous fermentation in 500L oak puncheons.

Ageing:  10 months in barrel followed by nine months in tank.

Vineyard & Vine Age:  Sourced from Parr & Moorman's own Domaine de la Côte vineyards in the western part of the Santa Rita Hills as well as other important growers' vineyards in the appellation.

ABV:  12.8%

Produced Cases: 4,536

Alberta CSPC/SKU #100439

2022 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir

Brimming with high-toned, youthful aromatics, Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir leads with crunchy red fruits of pomegranate, wild strawberry, and sun-warmed raspberry. The exuberantly fruity nose is undergirded with orange zest, black tea, tea rose, and faint hints of clove and spice. The bright, vivacious palate carries a taut mineral streak through to a lengthy finish lifting the red fruit notes with a whisper of anise.

WA: 96 (2021), 93 (2020), 94 (2018)

Region:  Sta. Rita Hills, California

Appellation:  Sta. Rita Hills AVA

Altitude:  ~200m

Soils:  Sedimentary soils with patches of diatomaceous earth and limestone.

Blend:  100% Pinot Noir

Fermentation:  Indigenous fermentation in open-top cement, 80% destemmed and crushed, 20% whole cluster.

Ageing:  Nine months in neutral French oak.

Vineyard & Vine Age:  Sourced from Parr & Moorman's own Domaine de la Côte vineyards in the western part of the Santa Rita Hills as well as other vineyard sources managed by their own vinicultural team.

ABV:  13.2%

Production: 5,236