{"product_id":"sandlands-amador-county-chenin-blanc-2023","title":"Sandlands Amador County Chenin Blanc 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Land\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSierra Foothills wine country is known for Zinfandel, Barbera, and rustic mountain reds. Chenin Blanc is not what most people associate with the region. But at 1,500 to 1,900 feet in Amador County, on volcanic rock, quartz, and ancient metamorphic stone, the variety finds conditions that produce something entirely different from the warm-climate whites the region's reputation might suggest. Judge Bell Vineyard, the backbone of this wine, sits at 1,500 feet in iron-rich volcanic rock, quartz, and decomposed granite; the vines were planted in 1979 and have been head-trained, dry-farmed, and own-rooted ever since. Story Vineyard sits higher at 1,900 feet in black gneiss and blue schist. Both benefit from the extreme diurnal swings of the Sierra Foothills, where afternoon heat gives way to sharp overnight drops, preserving acidity across a long growing season.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e100% Chenin Blanc from Judge Bell Vineyard (planted 1979, 1,500 feet) and Story Vineyard (planted 2020, 1,900 feet), fermented across one foudre and 14 barrels. Practicing organic farming throughout. 12.4% alcohol. The 2023 California vintage brought dramatically above-average rainfall statewide, a delayed budbreak, and a long, cool growing season in which physiological ripeness arrived at unusually low sugar levels. White flowers, sea salt, citrus peel, chalk, and flint open the nose; the palate is mouthwatering and precise, with a mineral finish that lingers. This is Chenin Blanc from a place that has no template for it, which is exactly what makes it interesting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe People\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSandlands is Tegan Passalacqua's personal project, launched in 2010 around a single premise: forgotten California varieties from old, own-rooted, dry-farmed vineyards in rocky and sandy soils. Passalacqua is a Napa Valley native who worked at Craggy Range in New Zealand, with Eben Sadie in the Swartland of South Africa, and with Alain and Maxime Graillot in the Northern Rhone before spending more than 20 years at Turley Wine Cellars, rising from harvest intern to Winemaker and Vineyard Manager. He has been steadily expanding his personal vineyard holdings in Amador County, where the geology and elevation give him something Lodi cannot. Production here is genuinely small: one foudre and 14 barrels total.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFood Pairing\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAt 12.4% with sea salt, chalk, and citrus threading through the palate, this is a wine for clean, precise flavors. Oysters on the half shell, grilled whole fish with lemon and herbs, sushi with yellowtail or sea bass, or roast chicken with tarragon and crème fraîche all pair naturally. The mineral finish keeps lifting the food rather than competing with it. A white wine worth opening before dinner and finishing at the table.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Stelvio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50079663882463,"sku":null,"price":32.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0439\/7436\/1248\/files\/P6060304.jpg?v=1780891954","url":"https:\/\/danverwinemerchant.com\/products\/sandlands-amador-county-chenin-blanc-2023","provider":"Denver Wine Merchant","version":"1.0","type":"link"}