Sandhi, Bentrock Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills

Wow. Overwhelmingly complex and delicious sparkling Chardonnay from California, legendary wine icon Raj Parr. The body and mouthfeel are what drive this; on the nose honey, lemon, brioche, croissant, clover. Palate of sourdough, lemon squares, and on day two a hint of bruised apple and umami. Insane qpr at $30

2015 vintage

Quite nice. Pretty low dosage, but plenty of texture and interest. Happy with this for the discounted price.

2015 vintage

A fair amount of saline

2015 vintage

Incredibly funky, with a sourdough kind of yeasty rendering. White flower and lemon rind nose. Lovely bead.

2015 vintage

I don't always agree with Richard Hemming, but his 2018 description of this wine continues to describe it well: "The reductive element is dominant... while there is gorgeous lemon fruit beneath. This is a stylised and lean experience and the rest of the wine is a little suppressed, but this is to criticise exactly what makes it so appealing!" We did enjoy it, and found it unique and refreshing, but it wasn't particularly delicious, and really shouldn't still be *that* …

2015 vintage

Somehow Sashi Moorman and Rajat Parr seem to have sprinkled a little Coche Dury magic into the nose of the 2015 Bentrock Chardonnay, and some Schäfer Fröhlich onto its palate. The bouquet reminds me of fireworks on the fourth of July, something like a mix of struck match, flinty stone, curry leaf and smoke, yet at the center a vivid note of freshly sliced, ripe pear. This soothes with round, almost plumb textures, that are quickly firmed up by a …

2015 vintage

Rrrrripper

2015 vintage

Clearly well made but compared to previous vintages, this was very concentrated and rich. Tasted blind with most of the table finding it a little over the top.

2015 vintage

Intense nose with curry leaf reduction, lemon oil, and crushed stone. There's great depth to the citrus and stone flavors that feel electric thanks to racey acidity and penetrating mineral reduction. One of the finer Bentrock vintages.

2015 vintage

Tasted this 2015 Sandhi Bentrock Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay blind and I am convinced Rajat Parr have mastered the art of balance. Smart reduction, clean and precise with delineated fruits. Great concentration without the complexity of Grand Cru terroir, but winemaking here trumps terroir by many times. I thought this was either an Arnoux Ente or Coche Dury Meursault village based on the refined fruits and reduction. Coche Dury Meursault, 2015? (93/100)

2015 vintage

Jasper Rousseau Chambertin. Matchstick and green pepper aromatics. Really pure.

2015 vintage

Several years on the 2015 Bentrock is still dominated by reduction, but that reduction is lovely and well integrated, adding matchstick to lemon oil and crushed stone nuances. Penetrating minerality. Imagine this wine with age on the vines. Very good.

2015 vintage

Just as nice this time as I have written many times before. This is a truly nice acquaintance from a star producer. The nose reveals elegantly balanced fruit with the typical colza, minerals, orange and lemon zest. The palate follows through in a lovely way with intriguing balance and integration. Acidity is well behaved but this wine is more driven by acidity than fruit to be perfectly honest. Structure is present and will most likely make this effort last quite …

2015 vintage

Quite burgundian in a slightly reduced, Coche-Dury / PYCM style (but not overly so). Rich and complex, with good length. Drinking well right away, not sure I would age this. Perhaps more Chassagne than Puligny or Meursault.

2015 vintage

Matchstick and flint aromas overwhelm the nose, rendering assessment difficult, but the intensity and integration of the reduction is already quite compelling. Cutting minerality and lemon oil flavors are framed by crisp, ripe acidity, finishing with flinty reduction. As this resolves I suspect it will prove very good indeed. Drink starting 2020.

2015 vintage

Significant reduction renders judgement difficult, with flint and matchstick dominating the nose, but this is utterly compelling in its Coche-like intensity and smokey minerality. On the palate I find lemon oil and concentrated, dense minerality. The 2015 Bentrock was raised in a reductive style that will need several years to integrate. Drink starting 2020.

2015 vintage

An adorable effort from this star producer! The nose reveals rich balanced but also elegant fruit with elements of the varietal typical colza, minerals, mandarines and lemon zest. The palate adds to the experience in a lovely way with balance and integration. Acidity is well behaved but still reveals some more time in the cellar could do this effort some justice. There certainly is enough structure to make this effort age well for another decade (?), but it certainly provides …

2015 vintage

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Sandhi, Bentrock Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills

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