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.
Dark crimson in color. 13.3% ABV. Terrific nose of red fruits, flowers, earth and pepper. Full bodied with medium to strong acidity. Tremendous structure and concentration. Black cherry, raspberry, earth and minerals on the palate. Tremendous length on the finish. One of the bigger wines in the Sandlands lineup. This will age well. Best over the next 3-5 years.
My rating: 92 points.
Sandlands has not made a Refosco since the 2018 vintage. I’d love to see this wine reappear in the years to come.
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.