United States · Santa Cruz & Bay

Sandhi Wines

Small-production Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay and Pinot Noir shaped by Pacific breezes, marine soils and native-yeast cellar work.

The producer

Founded by Rajat Parr in 2010, Sandhi works with selected Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vineyards in Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA. The sites lie about ten miles from the Pacific and span eight miles of marine sedimentary soils and changing ocean winds, conditions that slow ripening while preserving bright acidity and defined fruit.

Chardonnay is the clearest expression in the supplied material. The 2022 Romance Chardonnay moves from chalk, salt, lemon zest and ginger to Bosc pear, cream and honeycomb, gaining breadth before a long, dry, savoury finish. Sandhi uses native yeast and says it makes no additions or subtractions in the winery, keeping the focus on site-derived fruit and structure.

Known for

Coastal Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from selected vineyards.

Notable facts

The story

The first Sandhi release

Sandhi was founded by Rajat Parr in 2010, with Sashi Moorman identified as winemaker. Its first release arrived in February 2011, less than a year after the project began. The early wines centred on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from selected Sta. Rita Hills vineyards in Santa Barbara County, where the Pacific sits about ten miles from the area Sandhi chose to work. The name Sandhi came from a Sanskrit word meaning alliance or collaboration, reflecting the partnership behind the new winery. Those first bottles carried a name tied to the people who formed the project and to the coastal vineyards that supplied its fruit.

The first Sandhi release

Sandhi was founded by Rajat Parr in 2010, with Sashi Moorman identified as winemaker. Its first release arrived in February 2011, less than a year after the project began. The early wines centred on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from selected Sta. Rita Hills vineyards in Santa Barbara County, where the Pacific sits about ten miles from the area Sandhi chose to work. The name Sandhi came from a Sanskrit word meaning alliance or collaboration, reflecting the partnership behind the new winery. Those first bottles carried a name tied to the people who formed the project and to the coastal vineyards that supplied its fruit.

From the atlas

Sandhi Wines

At A Glance

Sandhi Wines is a small-production California producer founded in 2010 by Rajat Parr. Its Chardonnay and Pinot Noir come from selected vineyards in Santa Barbara County’s Sta. Rita Hills AVA, an area close enough to the Pacific for cool breezes and ocean winds to shape ripening. The result is a range built around coastal fruit, acidity and site variation rather than a single house recipe.

The Producer

Rajat Parr founded Sandhi in 2010, with Sashi Moorman identified as winemaker. Parr had previously been wine director for Michael Mina Restaurants, while the winery’s work in Sta. Rita Hills centres on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Those grapes are the useful starting point for Sandhi: Chardonnay carries the area’s citrus, salt and rock-derived character, while Pinot Noir gives the range a red-wine counterpart from the same coastal district.

Place

Sta. Rita Hills lies in Santa Barbara County, where Sandhi’s chosen vineyards sit about ten miles from the Pacific Ocean. That short distance brings cool breezes into a sunny growing season, slowing ripening while grapes still receive enough light to develop fruit. In Chardonnay, the combination can show as lemon zest and pear held by lively acidity rather than broad sweetness; in Pinot Noir, it establishes a cooler coastal setting for the grape without reducing the wines to a generic California style.

Soil And Site

Sandhi’s partner sites stretch across eight miles, over marine sedimentary soils and through changing patterns of oceanic wind. The distance is modest on a map but meaningful in a vineyard: a site exposed to more wind will not ripen in exactly the same rhythm as one sheltered nearby. Rocky soils, cool breezes and strong sunlight are particularly important to Sandhi’s Chardonnay, helping retain acidity while fruit develops shape and weight.

Story

The name Sandhi comes from a Sanskrit word meaning alliance or collaboration, fitting a winery formed around people and selected vineyards rather than a single estate address. In its early years, the work brought Parr’s wine background together with Moorman’s role in the cellar and a focus on Sta. Rita Hills fruit. In 2016, Charles Banks sold his interest in Sandhi to Parr, Moorman and Steve Webster, leaving the winery’s Chardonnay-and-Pinot-Noir focus in place.

Vineyards And Cellar

Sandhi works with native yeast and says it makes no additions or subtractions in the winery. Native-yeast fermentation can allow individual lots to develop at their own pace, while the stated low-intervention approach puts the emphasis on the fruit and acidity delivered by each site. With coastal Chardonnay, that matters when saline, citrus and chalk-like notes need to remain present beside creamier fruit; the finish can stay dry and firm instead of being softened into a uniform texture.

Wines

The range is organised around Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from selected Sta. Rita Hills vineyards, with site-specific bottlings giving more detailed expressions of the area. Chardonnay is the best documented part of the portfolio: the 2022 Romance Chardonnay supplies a concentrated example of the style, while a 2024 Central Coast Chardonnay shows that Sandhi also releases wine under a broader regional designation.

Romance Chardonnay is not simply a list of vineyard names on a label. Its chalky and saline aroma points back to the coastal setting, while pear, citrus and cream give the wine both fruit and body. Pinot Noir remains a core grape at Sandhi, though the supplied material does not support a named bottle or a full tasting profile for it. That makes Chardonnay the more useful place to begin when choosing from the documented range.

In The Glass

The 2022 Romance Chardonnay opens with chalk, salt, matcha, lemon zest, fresh ginger, orange blossom and lemon balm. Bosc pear, vanilla bean, cream and honeycomb follow on the palate, adding body without displacing the wine’s citrus line. Its dense, coiled shape broadens with air, then draws out into a long finish where saline and mineral notes keep the fruit dry and savoury.

A Bottle To Understand It

Choose the 2022 Romance Chardonnay. It brings Sandhi’s coastal Sta. Rita Hills focus into one glass: chalky and saline aromas, pear and lemon fruit, ginger, floral lift, cream on the palate and a long, dry finish. The wine’s breadth develops gradually, so it shows both the sunny ripeness of the area and the acidity retained by cool breezes near the Pacific. Serve it cool rather than icy to let the citrus, salt and cream emerge in sequence.

Anecdote

Sandhi was founded by Rajat Parr in 2010, with Sashi Moorman identified as its winemaker. The winery’s first release followed in February 2011, giving the new project a public arrival less than a year after its founding. At the time, the work was already fixed on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from selected Sta. Rita Hills vineyards in Santa Barbara County. The name on those early bottles, Sandhi, came from a Sanskrit word meaning alliance or collaboration, a reference to the partnership behind the winery. The dated release remains the clearest early marker in Sandhi’s history: founded in 2010, then released in February 2011.

Final Word

Sandhi is worth seeking out for Chardonnay shaped by the Pacific-facing conditions of Sta. Rita Hills: citrus, salt, chalk-like notes and acidity alongside real palate weight. Start with Romance Chardonnay, then use the vineyard names and regional labels to follow how coastal California changes from site to site.

Sources

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