Sandlands Chenin Blanc Amador 2023

Sandlands Chenin Blanc Amador 2023

Sandlands
$29.00

Grape: Chenin Blanc
Vintage: 2023
Type: White

This dry white wine is a pure varietal bottling of chenin blanc sourced from old vines in Amador County. Winemaker Tegan Passalacqua selects the fruit from historical granite-rich vineyards that preserve high acidic tension in the grapes. The hand-picked clusters are pressed and fermented spontaneously with native vineyard yeasts in neutral containers, completely avoiding modern styling corrections. It undergoes a natural maturation process on its fine lees to build structural complexity without oak wood dominance.

It displays a bright straw-yellow color, releasing clean aromas of white flowers, citrus peel, chalk, and a hint of fresh mint. A sleek, medium-bodied frame balances crisp orchard fruit flavors with an underlying chiseled mineral undercurrent. A lively wave of natural acidity cuts right through the slightly waxy texture, keeping the mouthfeel thoroughly refreshed and energetic. The slatey baseline coordinates with the delicate fruit core, adding great structural depth. It finishes long, dry, and persistent.

Sandland is Tegan Passalacqua's project devoted to California's old, often overlooked vineyard heritage. As vineyard manager for Turley, Passalacqua has deep experience with ancient vines, and Sandlands channels that knowledge into parcels planted to varieties such as Chenin Blanc, Carignane, Mataro, Trousseau, Zinfandel and Mission. Many sites are own-rooted, dry-farmed and planted on sandy granitic or decomposed soils that helped them survive phylloxera. The wines are made simply, with restrained alcohol and little new oak, showing a quieter California built from old vines, immigrant varieties and historical continuity rather than modern fashion.