Sandhi

Sandhi is a small production California winery focusing on select vineyards from the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County. Sandhi was founded in 2010 by Rajat Parr, the wine director for Michael Mina Restaurants, and winemaker, Sashi Moorman.

Sandhi represents a union essential to the production of wine: the collaboration between man, earth, and vine. The willing participation of all three elements is necessary to make great wine, and the winegrower must make this collaboration rich and nourishing for all involved. An understanding of these joint efforts informs Sandhi’s exploration of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines throughout the Santa Barbara County terroir.

From a cellar approach, they go to great lengths to protect the vibrancy, freshness and energy that makes wines from the Santa Rita Hills so unique. All wines are wild-­yeast fermented.

For reds and whites they prefer neutral barrel and concrete vessels and do employ a small amount of new French oak. All Chardonnays go through malo-­lactic but the lees are not stirred or re-­suspended. Press cycles are also slower and longer to preserve the fresh floral aromatics. All Pinot Noirs are mostly whole‐cluster fermented because they feel the wines smell more alive, have a nice cola spice and more complex textures than wines that do not opt for this approach. All white wines go through a light fining and filtration.
All red wines are unfined and unfiltered with zero additions of water, sugar, acid and enzymes.