Lodi

This bottle has some serious Brettanomyces issues.  I am usually pretty tolerant but this was near my limits.  Almost undrinkable on day one, it was allowed to breathe over night and while still present, it was tolerable (for me) on day 2.  Purple in color with some ruby hues, mostly clear and slightly flat.  On the nose, there is a lot of barnyard/band-aid aromas.  There is some fruit underneath but it is hard to get to.  On day two, the barnyard is more in the background and the nose is more about clay and band-aid along with some black cherries.  Medium bodied.  Light tannins.  On the pa

Sandlands is a winery that I encourage my friends to get on their mailing list.  Chenin Blanc is a huge favorite of mine and Sandlands makes a few all are great and great values.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is great with red apples, orange peel and minerality.  Medium bodied.  Good acidity.  On the palate, this is deep but also drinks well.  The red apples come thru with underlying minerality.  Good finish.  I tend to drink these young, but I would bet they could go for another ten years or more.  Great on its own, but better with food.  This is a nice choice with sp

This is made from Cabernet grapes predominately from Lodi.  The wine is raised in oak barrels and then finished in Bourbon Barrels.  Garnet in color with purple swirls, mostly opaque and bright.  The nose has smoke, tar and slight black cherries.  Medium bodied.

Sandlands makes some of the best Chenin Blancs in America.  Light golden in color, clear and bright.  The nose is nice with minerality/crushed shells, some lemon and lanolin.  Light to medium bodied.  Slightly oily texture.  On the palate, this young.  Vibrant.  The minerality continues thru but the lemon is more persistent.  Long finish.  Tasty.  This is nice on its own and should work well with all but the heaviest meat dishes.  It worked very well with Hunan food.  Drink over the next seven to ten years.