Sandhi, Chardonnay, Central Coast CA, 2019

The Sandhi Chardonnay 2019, labeled as “Central Coast” thanks to three new fruit sources, was fermented with only ambient yeasts in a combination of used French oak barriques and larger oak puncheon. It aged briefly in neutral barrels before its recent release, so it is still youthful and fresh—give it a quick splash-decant to accelerate its aeration and you’ll encounter a beautifully ripe and aromatic Chardonnay lifted by freshness. In the glass, it’s a medium straw-gold with hints of green at the rim, with bright aromas of lemon curd, nectarine, yellow apple, citrus, chamomile, and wet stones. It is medium-bodied, with Sandhi’s signature mix of texture and tension—its depth is expressed in persistence, not weight.