Bottle Notes

2017 Sandlands Mataro San Benito County – Bottle Notes

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 wines made at Sandlands include Syrah, Trousseau, Carignane, Mataro, Chenin Blanc and at long last a Zinfandel from Kirschenmann Vineyard.

I decided to open this bottle while placing my Sandlands order for their Fall allocation.

Bright red in color. 13.8% ABV. Super nose of red fruits, roasted herbs and hot, wet stones. Medium body with perfect acidity. Fresh and crisp. Tart cherries, black tea, iron and earth on the palate. Nice length on the finish with subtle tannins. Charming wine that has great structure. Often I am inclined to drink Sandlands wines when they are young but this wine will certainly show well with another 3-5 years in the cellar.

My rating: 92 points.

Seriously consider signing up for the Sandlands mailing list. Tegan has a model of unique wines at extremely fair prices from overlooked vineyards. What more can you ask for?

Sandlands fared well in The 2020 Zinfandel Chronicles Power Rankings.

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2 thoughts on “2017 Sandlands Mataro San Benito County – Bottle Notes

  1. Tom, I love Mataro and the 2017 from the Enz vineyard sounds delicious. I just placed my Sandlands Fall release order. I only recently made the member list and have only tasted the Lodi Red Table Wine, which was sublime. I purchased all I was allowed which was 10 bottles, one to two of each offering, 11 bottles if my “wish” for the Napa Chenin Blanc gets granted. Looking forward to the late October delivery.

    1. Congrats on making the list. I think I have been on the list since the start. The wines are unique, delicious and really priced well. Lots to like.

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