I’m on too many mailing lists. It was one of the first topics I wrote about when Zinfandel Chronicles launched almost two years ago in Confessions of a Mailing List Addict. I think the last mailer I added to my annual purchases was Bedrock. All that being said, two new projects have really caught my attention.
Sandlands is the personal project of Tegan and Olivia Passalacqua. Tegan is the Winemaker and Vineyard Manager at Turley. The line-up encompasses some of the forgotten classic California varieties, primarily grown in decomposed granite from regions and vineyards that have been farmed for many generations but have remained the outliers of California viticulture.
The initial set of wines from Sandlands will likely include a Chenin Blanc from Amador County, a Carignane from Contra Costa County and a Syrah from the Santa Lucia Highlands. Borrowing a page from Turley, the wines all look to be attractively priced in the $25-$30 range.
Jayson Pahlmeyer purchased Wayfarer Vineyard in 1999 at the urging of Helen Turley. The property sits in the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. David Abreu planted the first vineyards in 2001. For the first few years the fruit from Wayfarer was blended into the Pahlmeyer wines, but beginning in 2012 the Wayfarer wines were being bottled separately. The wines are being made by Bibiana Gonzalez-Rave.
The initial release of the Wayfarer wines will be this fall. I am just speculating on prices but given what I know about Pahlmeyer I suspect the wines will be in the $75-$80 range if not slightly higher.
I’ve signed up for both lists and can’t wait to get the inaugural mailers.
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Tom, thank you for the kind mention! We are looking forward to sharing the wines for the first time this fall. It’s been a labor of love that we are excited to bring to fruition!
Looking forward to Sandlands, too, as well as the forthcoming offerings from “Under The Wire”. I’m surprised you didn’t mention this one in your post, considering you’re a fan of Bedrock…? Cheers!
Thanks Chris. I thought about including both Under the Wire and Horsepower but from what I understand signing up for either list at this time is almost futile. I wanted a couple new lists where there might still be an opportunity to actually get an allocation.