Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc 2023

Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc 2023 is the work of Tegan Passalacqua, founder of Sandlands and longtime winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars. Through Sandlands, Passalacqua focuses on California's historic vineyards and overlooked grape varieties, seeking out old vine sites that have survived decades of changing trends. The project has become one of the most respected voices in California's heritage wine movement, highlighting vineyards rooted in decomposed granite, volcanic soils, and other distinctive sites throughout the state's interior regions.

The grapes are sourced from two Amador County vineyards in the Sierra Foothills. One site was planted in 1979 and consists of head trained, dry farmed, own rooted vines growing in iron rich volcanic soils mixed with quartz and decomposed granite at roughly 1,500 feet of elevation. A second, younger vineyard planted in 2020 sits at nearly 1,900 feet on black gneiss and blue schist soils. Together, the two sites create a wine that balances the depth and concentration of old vines with the freshness and energy of younger plantings.

The grapes are hand harvested and gently whole cluster pressed before fermentation with native yeasts. Fermentation takes place in French oak barrels and large format foudre, followed by aging in neutral French oak and extended time on fine lees. The use of older vessels allows texture and complexity to develop without imparting noticeable oak character, preserving the wine's precision and vineyard expression.

In the glass, the wine is remarkably lifted and mineral driven, offering aromas of white flowers, citrus peel, sea salt, chalk, flint, mint, and slate. The palate is energetic and mouthwatering, combining bright acidity with subtle texture from lees aging. Despite coming from California's warm interior, it feels more reminiscent of a cool climate white, with tension, freshness, and a long stony finish. Critics have described the 2023 as one of the strongest chenin blancs Sandlands has produced to date, and it continues to demonstrate why California chenin blanc has become one of the state's most exciting under the radar categories.