2022 Sandlands Vineyards, Assyrtiko, Lodi, California.
While winemaker Tegan Passalacqua is manly known for his red wine, especially his Turley Zinfandel and Petite Syrah, along with his own Sandlands collection of distinctive reds, including his fabulous Cinsault and Carignane offerings, he also has some very savvy whites, with the Semillon, Chenin Blanc and now this exciting and mineral crisp Assyrtiko, one of Greece’s signature white grapes, most commonly found in the famous wines of Santorini. This is a rarity in California, and maybe the only Assyrtiko in California, at least by a high profile and quality label so far and it sure likes like this varietal will find the state a happy home. This pale golden hued 2022, the debut release, from sandy soils in Lodi, has plenty of fresh acidity and shows of an array of sunny citrus and tangy stone fruits on the light to medium bodied palate with kumquat, kiwi, unripe apricot, quince and melon, along with bitter almond, zesty herb and a delicate orange blossom floral note. With air you pick up a textural appeal and a light yeasty tone, along with a mouth watering saline and chalky element, making for a nicely balanced white wine to enjoy over the next year and with a flexible range of foods, in particular grilled salmon, sardines and or squid dishes, though also a nice Summer refresher with a picnic or salad. Even in a year with some intense heat, this Assyrtiko, a grape that can handle arid and hot conditions, keeps a natural vibrancy, showing that it should be a good fit for the future, retaining acidity, like Vermentino does.
For these Sandlands wines, as mentioned before, winemaker Tegan Passalaqua, who is the vineyard manager and head winemaker at the famous Turley Wine Cellars, uses restraint and employs a light touch in the cellar here with most bottlings being small wines made with indigenous yeasts and lots of whole cluster. Along with an old school maceration(s) with hand punch downs, basket pressing and with the aging being done in well used barrels, mostly French oak. California wine enthusiasts are re-discovery Lodi and other region’s historic old vines, like here in Contra Costa County, with many vineyards being well over 100 years old, set on well draining sandy soils, which is what many of California’s best vineyards have. The Sandlands line-up encompasses these forgotten classic California varieties, and other rarities such as this Assyrtiko, Mencia, Trousseau and Listen Prieto, AKA The Mission Grape, primarily grown in decomposed granite (sand), as seen here, from regions and vineyards that have been farmed, as Passalaqua notes, for many generations but have remained the outliers of California viticulture. Coming from primarily head-trained, dry-farmed and own rooted 100 year old plus vines, as Tegan continues, that harken back to California’s roots of exploration, wonder, and hard work. There’s a lot to admire and enjoy here with Tegan’s Sandlands Vineyards wines, and while the reds are always very tasty treats, don’t over look the whites! I’ve been a fan of Sandlands for a long while and am very excited to see these latest set of wines exceeding my expectations, with the Mataro, Carignane and Cinsault really impressing me in recent years.
($22 Est.) 91 Points, grapelive