From the 2021 vintage, higher quality grapes are used, and the taste is a notch higher. Only grapes from the Hines Family Estate and Domaine de la Côte vineyards are used. Concentrated with notes of candied citrus peel, nectarine, sea salt, hints of spice, saltiness, and bursts of acidity. The well-melted oak scent creates texture and impact. ``Santa Rita Hills'' is a wine that could be compared to Burgundy, but we are serious about making this ``Village Wine''. We make this a reality by using more than 90% of Domaine de la Côte's own grapes. Sandy is a small-batch winery that makes wine from carefully selected vineyards in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County. It was founded in 2010 by then-wine director of Michael Mina Restaurant Group, Raja Parr, and winemaker Sashi Moorman. Sandy's concept is very simple: to bring together the three essential elements of winemaking, people, soil, and grapes, into a single form. This means not only making great wine, but also being considerate of our employees and the natural environment. The essence of Sandy is how to create a wonderful "shape" using the terroir of Santa Barbara County, which is said to be the sacred place for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California. We incorporate traditional fields with a long history as well as new fields, and in pursuit of balance, we make use of the individuality of each field. The growers we currently use include Bentrock, Rita's Crown, Sanford & Benedict, Mt. Carmel, and Rinconada, and now we have La Côte, our own vineyard owned by our sister winery Domaine de la Côte. Winemaking reveals the hidden power and beauty of the grape by highlighting finesse, minerality, rich acidity and structure throughout. If the fruit is too strong, the alcohol content is too high, or the barrel aroma is too strong, the terroir will be obscured. When made with respect for the land, the Santa Rita Hills terroir produces wines that are crisp, fresh, and energetic.
This is common to both white and red. All wines are made using only indigenous yeasts. Chardonnay goes through a slow, long pressing cycle to preserve the grape's natural aromas. We do MLF, but we don't touch the lees. Using a large amount of whole bunches of Pinot Noir gives the wine a lively, cola-like spice aroma, and a complex, smooth texture. The containers used are mainly puncheons, old barrels, and concrete, and new barrels are used sparingly. All of this is made possible by the Santa Rita Hills' unique clay soil and diatomaceous earth, strong winds typical of the region, north-facing slopes, and old vines. We do not add hydration, supplement sugar, or supplement acid, nor do we add any enzymes or stabilizers. The winery's name, ``Sandhi'', is a Sanskrit word from Raja's home country of India, which means continuation or cooperation. Raja and Sashi have also collaborated on Oregon's Evening Land, leading the elegant movement in Oregon.