Jay Kline

9.2

On the nose, orange and lime zest and wet stone. On the palate, citrus, minerals and lanolin. Crushable and yet, serious. These Chenin’s from Sandlands are so dope. A lovely first salvo for Thanksgiving. — 3 days ago

Lee Lightfoot

9.0

Floral elements more subdued, fruit blossoming. Softer then when enjoyed in its youth and less complex and crunchy. — 11 days ago

Alder Yarrow

Wine Blogger Vinography

9.6

There’s this expression that has arisen in the wine industry in the past decade - “crushable” or “smashable” wines, wines that All but demand you drink another glass and another until you realize sadly that you’ve drunk the entire bottle and you desperately want another. I’ve had my share of such wines, but this is my new favorite “gimme the whole bottle” font of deliciousness. @ownrooted has hit it out of the park with this mixed-black field blend of 1920’s-planted vines in decomposed granite sand. Berries, herbs, earth and an incredible saline kick gives this wine mouthwatering “come hither” appeal. I wish I had 24 more bottles. — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

A gorgeous bouquet of bright bramble fruit, anise, and flowers. On the palate, I found this to be quite snappy! Brambles again with licorice and minerals. Medium tannins and high-ish acid. A pleasurable finish. This would work very well with a wide range of meals. At 14.4% ABV, this is very modest for a Lodi Zinfandel...and quite possibly the best I’ve ever had from this area known for its bulk rather than its quality. This proves the area’s potential with aplomb. The fruit for this bottling comes from Sandland’s own Kirschenmann Vineyard, located in the Mokelumne River AVA, which was planted 105 years ago. The soil there is mostly silica so the environment is naturally resistant to phylloxera. As a result, the vines are ungrafted and hence, own-rooted. — 7 days ago

Robert Rothfield

9.0

Light weight....delicate but nice — a month ago

Taylar Hart

9.4

Opened two bottles of the 2015 back to back. So good. By far my favorite Sandlands wine to date. I was starting to develop the view that they excelled on the whites and the reds were sort of basic, but this one really impressed me. It was a little sharp straight out of the bottle but was especially excellent on day two. Good structure, layered berry notes, appreciable tannins. Yay! — 2 months ago

Jay Kline

9.1

The bottle was opened about three hours prior to dinner, splash decanted and then returned to the bottle. Pours a bright ruby color. On the nose, red cherry and strawberry fruits; comes across a bit alpine? Minerals and other light herbs somewhat nod the mountains...which I guess makes some sense considering the location of Besson Vineyard (the source of the fruit, just outside of the Santa Cruz AVA). This is a Grenache endowed with undeniable structure. The acid is obvious immediately however, it takes a few hours for the tannin monster to show up. This would benefit from a handful of years on the cellar. The Besson Vineyard was planted in 1910. The folks at Birichino Winery were willing to share 1.5 tons of their fruit. 3.5 barrels produced. — a month ago

Andrew

9.1

V2015 drunk in 2020. Delicious, but not affecting me deeply. Love Sandlands wines. — a month ago

Brent Clayton

9.0

Didn’t know what to expect. Nice vibrant red fruits and good acid. Crushable red. Fun to try. — 2 months ago

William Feinstein

9.2

Not overly sophisticated, just some really good juice blended with an deft hand. Highly recommend. — 2 months ago