Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc 2023
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The Land
Sierra Foothills wine country is known for Zinfandel, Barbera, and rustic mountain reds. Chenin Blanc is not what most people associate with the region. But at 1,500 to 1,900 feet in Amador County, on volcanic rock, quartz, and ancient metamorphic stone, the variety finds conditions that produce something entirely different from the warm-climate whites the region's reputation might suggest. Judge Bell Vineyard, the backbone of this wine, sits at 1,500 feet in iron-rich volcanic rock, quartz, and decomposed granite; the vines were planted in 1979 and have been head-trained, dry-farmed, and own-rooted ever since. Story Vineyard sits higher at 1,900 feet in black gneiss and blue schist. Both benefit from the extreme diurnal swings of the Sierra Foothills, where afternoon heat gives way to sharp overnight drops, preserving acidity across a long growing season.
The Wine
100% Chenin Blanc from Judge Bell Vineyard (planted 1979, 1,500 feet) and Story Vineyard (planted 2020, 1,900 feet), fermented across one foudre and 14 barrels. Practicing organic farming throughout. 12.4% alcohol. The 2023 California vintage brought dramatically above-average rainfall statewide, a delayed budbreak, and a long, cool growing season in which physiological ripeness arrived at unusually low sugar levels. White flowers, sea salt, citrus peel, chalk, and flint open the nose; the palate is mouthwatering and precise, with a mineral finish that lingers. This is Chenin Blanc from a place that has no template for it, which is exactly what makes it interesting.
The People
Sandlands is Tegan Passalacqua's personal project, launched in 2010 around a single premise: forgotten California varieties from old, own-rooted, dry-farmed vineyards in rocky and sandy soils. Passalacqua is a Napa Valley native who worked at Craggy Range in New Zealand, with Eben Sadie in the Swartland of South Africa, and with Alain and Maxime Graillot in the Northern Rhone before spending more than 20 years at Turley Wine Cellars, rising from harvest intern to Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. He has been steadily expanding his personal vineyard holdings in Amador County, where the geology and elevation give him something Lodi cannot. Production here is genuinely small: one foudre and 14 barrels total.
Food Pairing
At 12.4% with sea salt, chalk, and citrus threading through the palate, this is a wine for clean, precise flavors. Oysters on the half shell, grilled whole fish with lemon and herbs, sushi with yellowtail or sea bass, or roast chicken with tarragon and crème fraîche all pair naturally. The mineral finish keeps lifting the food rather than competing with it. A white wine worth opening before dinner and finishing at the table.
We ship wine to most states with a $100 minimum order for shipping. We don't ship spirits nor beer.
Weather shipping advisory: Orders placed during times of extreme heat or extreme cold will be held for no charge until more favorable weather returns.
Chenin Blanc, celebrated for its high acidity and versatility, finds its most iconic expressions in the Loire Valley of France and the sun-drenched vineyards of South Africa. In the Loire Valley, it's the backbone of an array of styles, from vibrant, dry whites to lusciously sweet wines, showcasing the grape's remarkable ability to reflect terroir and respond to winemaking techniques. Meanwhile, South Africa has embraced Chenin Blanc, locally known as Steen, producing wines that range from fresh and fruity to complex and age-worthy, further cementing the grape's global appeal and adaptability.
