2010 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict
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Tasting notes
Long picking window in Sta Rita Hills because acid tends not to drop. Picked 16 Sept, earlier than many. Planted in 1971 by the pioneering Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict. This site represents the oldest Chardonnay plantings in all of Santa Barbara County and is largely synonymous with the creation of the Santa Rita Hills appellation. Tucked into the south-eastern corner of the Santa Rita Hills with north-facing blocks, this vineyard is planted on hard, silica, shale and well-drained soils. The Chardonnay blocks are both from the Wente selection, which is widely considered to be some of the first cuttings brought into California. 500-litre puncheons. Indigenous yeast. Very fine citrus and mineral aroma, slight smoky reduction is attractive. Tight and fresh and zesty. Beautiful focus and balance, a little salty. Intensity and freshness and somehow intelligence. So articulate and mineral. Long and burgundian but still proudly Californian. The oak gives a savoury framework and the fruit sings. (JH)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Vines on their own roots planted in 1971, north facing on clay. A bit richer than the Santa Barbara Chardonnay. Hint of popcorn. The sweetest of their Chardonnays. (JR)
Cool, mineral notes dominate Sandhi's 2010 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict. Today, the 2010 comes across as tightly wound and quite implosive, but my sense is it just needs time to emerge. The flavors and textures are decidedly pointed, with hints of lemon, white flowers, spices and crushed rocks. A subtle touch of botrytis-like sweetness adds complexity on the finish.
Cool, mineral notes dominate Sandhi’s 2010 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict. Today, the 2010 comes across as tightly wound and quite implosive, but my sense is it just needs time to emerge. The flavors and textures are decidedly pointed, with hints of lemon, white flowers, spices and crushed rocks. A subtle touch of botrytis-like sweetness adds complexity on the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2018. Sandhi is one of the most exciting new projects in California. The brainchild of investor Charles Banks, sommelier Rajat Parr and winemaker Sashi Moorman, Sandhi excels with cool-climate Chardonnays and Pinots from some of Santa Barbara’s top sites. Things change in California at a much faster pace than is common in other parts of the world. Investor-backed projects like Sandhi often have short lives. I hope that won’t be the case here because Banks, Parr and Moorman are on to something truly special. It is quite conceivable that within a few years the Sandi Chardonnays and Pinots could become reference point, benchmark wines for Santa Barbara, and California, for that matter. The overall approach at Sandhi focuses on picking on the early side. Parr and Moorman describe the 2010 Pinot harvest as a sunny vintage that required a short cold soak and more punchdowns than normal, while 2011 was a much more classic year that they handled with no cold soak, short fermentations and pumpovers, but no punchdowns. The 2011 Pinots, which I tasted from barrel, are shaping up very nicely and include the first wines from Wenzlau and La Encantada. The 2011 Chardonnays were harder to read than the Pinots, so it will be interesting to see what direction they take over the next year or so. Tel. (805) 686-3086