Sandlands
Contra Costa County Red Table Wine
Contra Costa County, San Francisco Bay, California, USA
First bottle I’ve opened of this vintage. Ruby red, moderate pigment extraction, very good clarity. Strawberry and barrel notes in nose. Strawberry, cherry in mouth with good fruit length, good acid, delightfully light on the alcohol. Slight seed and skin tannins on finish, aftertaste. Light bodied. Worth reading up about online
First bottle I’ve opened of this vintage. Ruby red, moderate pigment extraction, very good clarity. Strawberry and barrel notes in nose. Strawberry, cherry in mouth with good fruit length, good acid, delightfully light on the alcohol. Slight seed and skin tannins on finish, aftertaste. Light bodied. Worth reading up about online
May 3rd, 2022
Extraordinarily high acid. Better on day two. Waiting at least a year to try again.
Extraordinarily high acid. Better on day two. Waiting at least a year to try again.
1 person found it helpfulJan 8th, 2021
This bottle is best served after extended time exposed to some air. My notes are based on a 24hr slow-ox with the cork simply pressed back in after a small glass was poured. The nose is hardly red fruited at all! Instead, it’s a mix of stone fruits and orange citrus with some wet stone. On the palate, indeed, red fruits are here...leaning more towards the lingonberry/pomegranate side of the spectrum and accompanied by bitter orange pith and minerals. More of a welterweight but it’s the ideal structure for a wine like this. The tannins are showing themselves more today than yesterday but overall, it’s a more complete package. A positively charming accompaniment with a wide variety of meals I’m certain I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again; I wish more wines were made this way.
This bottle is best served after extended time exposed to some air. My notes are based on a 24hr slow-ox with the cork simply pressed back in after a small glass was poured. The nose is hardly red fruited at all! Instead, it’s a mix of stone fruits and orange citrus with some wet stone. On the palate, indeed, red fruits are here...leaning more towards the lingonberry/pomegranate side of the spectrum and accompanied by bitter orange pith and minerals. More of a welterweight but it’s the ideal structure for a wine like this. The tannins are showing themselves more today than yesterday but overall, it’s a more complete package. A positively charming accompaniment with a wide variety of meals I’m certain I’ve said this before but it’s worth saying again; I wish more wines were made this way.
1 person found it helpfulJan 6th, 2021
Lovely wine. Leans towards the savory side more than the Lodi (likely do to Lodi having zin in the mix). Well balanced and good food pair.
Lovely wine. Leans towards the savory side more than the Lodi (likely do to Lodi having zin in the mix). Well balanced and good food pair.
Aug 4th, 2021
Fairly muted initially, needed an hour + of air to open. White flowers, citrus, pomegranate, red cherry, lively and bright ✨
Fairly muted initially, needed an hour + of air to open. White flowers, citrus, pomegranate, red cherry, lively and bright ✨
Jan 21st, 2021
Carignan/Mataro blend is light bright purple and marvelously light on the palate. The 12.8 ABV wine dances in your mouth, but the wine is no wimp. Structured, with round tannins and enough acidity to float the boat. No hint of jam, but lots of black fruit, savory herbage, and a hint of grippy stem. Fun with pizza and football. Wish I had a couple more to see the development.
Carignan/Mataro blend is light bright purple and marvelously light on the palate. The 12.8 ABV wine dances in your mouth, but the wine is no wimp. Structured, with round tannins and enough acidity to float the boat. No hint of jam, but lots of black fruit, savory herbage, and a hint of grippy stem. Fun with pizza and football. Wish I had a couple more to see the development.
Dec 28th, 2020