Sandlands Chenin Blanc Amador County 2023
$27.99 on 6+ bottles (use code: 6saves2)
94 pts Vinous (Galloni)
Drinking Window 2026 - 2033
The 2023 Chenin Blanc (Amador County) is the most complete of the three whites I tasted for this report. Aromatic, bright and lifted, the 2023 possesses gorgeous floral lift and nuance. White flowers, citrus peel, chalk, mint and slate give this understated wine tons of detail. My only regret is not having been able to follow this for more time.
- By Antonio Galloni on January 2025
Tegan Passalacqua’s 2023s are the very finest wines he has made at Sandlands. I say that having tasted these wines all the way back to the first vintage. Several of these wines hit new highs. The rest aren’t too far behind. Most of the reds are done with a high percentage of stems (the Zinfandel is an exception) and aged in neutral wood. In 2023, the Contra Costa Mataro, from Oakley Road, steals the show, but it is next to impossible to pick favorites. Among the whites, the Chenin speaks to me most. My only regret with this tasting is that I had to catch a flight back to New York. Otherwise, I would have been very tempted to spend even longer with these wines. Last but certainly not least, Passalacqua has kept prices very fair, something that is exceedingly rare in today’s world.
Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc showcases the exceptional terroir of California's Sierra Foothills through a masterful blend of old and new vineyard sources. Judge Bell Vineyard contributes fruit from head-trained, dry-farmed vines planted in 1979 at 1,500 feet elevation, where own-rooted Chenin Blanc thrives in iron-rich volcanic soils mixed with quartz and decomposed granite. Story Vineyard adds complexity with fruit from newer plantings established in 2020 on distinctive black gneiss soils, creating a wine that bridges generational winemaking traditions.
Composition: 100% Chenin Blanc from Judge Bell Vineyard (1979 plantings) and Story Vineyard (2020 plantings)
Vines are head-trained, dry-farmed and own-rooted, grown in iron-rich volcanic, quartz and decomposed granite soils at 1,500 feet elevation
Aging: Matured in traditional large foudre and French oak barrels
Limited production of 1 foudre plus 14 barrels
Description
$27.99 on 6+ bottles (use code: 6saves2)
94 pts Vinous (Galloni)
Drinking Window 2026 - 2033
The 2023 Chenin Blanc (Amador County) is the most complete of the three whites I tasted for this report. Aromatic, bright and lifted, the 2023 possesses gorgeous floral lift and nuance. White flowers, citrus peel, chalk, mint and slate give this understated wine tons of detail. My only regret is not having been able to follow this for more time.
- By Antonio Galloni on January 2025
Tegan Passalacqua’s 2023s are the very finest wines he has made at Sandlands. I say that having tasted these wines all the way back to the first vintage. Several of these wines hit new highs. The rest aren’t too far behind. Most of the reds are done with a high percentage of stems (the Zinfandel is an exception) and aged in neutral wood. In 2023, the Contra Costa Mataro, from Oakley Road, steals the show, but it is next to impossible to pick favorites. Among the whites, the Chenin speaks to me most. My only regret with this tasting is that I had to catch a flight back to New York. Otherwise, I would have been very tempted to spend even longer with these wines. Last but certainly not least, Passalacqua has kept prices very fair, something that is exceedingly rare in today’s world.
Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc showcases the exceptional terroir of California's Sierra Foothills through a masterful blend of old and new vineyard sources. Judge Bell Vineyard contributes fruit from head-trained, dry-farmed vines planted in 1979 at 1,500 feet elevation, where own-rooted Chenin Blanc thrives in iron-rich volcanic soils mixed with quartz and decomposed granite. Story Vineyard adds complexity with fruit from newer plantings established in 2020 on distinctive black gneiss soils, creating a wine that bridges generational winemaking traditions.
Composition: 100% Chenin Blanc from Judge Bell Vineyard (1979 plantings) and Story Vineyard (2020 plantings)
Vines are head-trained, dry-farmed and own-rooted, grown in iron-rich volcanic, quartz and decomposed granite soils at 1,500 feet elevation
Aging: Matured in traditional large foudre and French oak barrels
Limited production of 1 foudre plus 14 barrels
