Sandlands, so far

I've had some Verset that was rather rustic, but that was young wine and before his status elevated him into the Pantheon.
 
My first from Sandlands last night, '12 Chenin, was somewhat of a disappointment. Felt like chenin grown in too warm of a climate. Creamy and tropical, showing wood and very little cut. Anyone else tried this? Still looking forward to trying the reds, but had I not heard that the winery was doing something special, I would not have concluded it from this bottle.
 
originally posted by Brian C:
My first from Sandlands last night, '12 Chenin, was somewhat of a disappointment. Felt like chenin grown in too warm of a climate. Creamy and tropical, showing wood and very little cut. Anyone else tried this? Still looking forward to trying the reds, but had I not heard that the winery was doing something special, I would not have concluded it from this bottle.
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I prefer the 2011.
 
originally posted by Brian C:
My first from Sandlands last night, '12 Chenin, was somewhat of a disappointment. Felt like chenin grown in too warm of a climate. Creamy and tropical, showing wood and very little cut. Anyone else tried this? Still looking forward to trying the reds, but had I not heard that the winery was doing something special, I would not have concluded it from this bottle.
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Ug. I was hoping this would change my thinking about the variety in the Golden State.
 
Late with this comment, but we had the 2012 Chenin at a Persian restaurant in Watertown a couple of weeks ago and it showed a lot better than Brian's note above. I didn't get much wood and it showed more cut than I expected. Very well made. Have not had any other vintages to compare, but it passed muster with our Boston crowd of chenin fans.
 
New offering hit the internets today. I swung for the fences and took my complete allocation (all SIX bottles of it!) Anxious to try the blush, 66% Cinsault, 33% Grenache from vineyards planted in 1886 and 1930.

-Eden Mylunsch (livin' large on Tegan's largesse)
 
Eden, I bought six bottles today myself. Most looking forward to an initial taste of their Trousseau. I am on the fence with this producer so far. Albeit I know I can always buy my allocation and then resell it for SQN $$$.
 
originally posted by Marc Hanes:
Eden, I bought six bottles today myself. Most looking forward to an initial taste of their Trousseau. I am on the fence with this producer so far. Albeit I know I can always buy my allocation and then resell it for SQN $$$.
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No fences here, only gates (not bill) and windows (not bill's either).

One of my favorite things about Sandlands is that I can always buy my allocation and DRINK it. No second thoughts about "what it might become with more time" or whether the person I'm drinking it will would know enough about wine to "fully appreciate" the wine. It's not made from noble grape varieties and the label hasn't been art-directed to death in an effort to stand out on a supermarket shelf. it's "just" wine, and that's not such a bad thing. You can get as much intellectual stuff from these wines as you want to put into it, or maybe sometimes you just wanna get bombed.

And Tegan's a swell guy too.

-Eden ("insert quote here")
 
I find it's a little frustrating to only have the one of each, though. Last summer I got one of each, and someone I know got one of each, so we had a little more wiggle room.

I greatly enjoyed the Carignane, Trousseau and Syrah, though the last was very clearly not from Europe (not that the other ones were; just that the distinction seemed more moot, if that makes sense). The Chenin Blanc was not my speed: it was actually too New World for me.

The Mataro stuck out in my mind as something I'd like to have again.

But Eden, you don't regret an impossibility of aging them? I don't think they're long-haul things, but only getting the one shot seems a shame.
 
originally posted by Sharon Bowman:
I find it's a little frustrating to only have the one of each, though. Last summer I got one of each, and someone I know got one of each, so we had a little more wiggle room.

I greatly enjoyed the Carignane, Trousseau and Syrah, though the last was very clearly not from Europe (not that the other ones were; just that the distinction seemed more moot, if that makes sense). The Chenin Blanc was not my speed: it was actually too New World for me.

The Mataro stuck out in my mind as something I'd like to have again.

But Eden, you don't regret an impossibility of aging them? I don't think they're long-haul things, but only getting the one shot seems a shame.
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I kinda agree. I've been buying my one bottle allocations, this year I got 4 chenins though. I loved the trousseau and wish I had several bottles. It's a little frustrating to have one bottle of something you really like.
But I giv ethem a lot of credit for not cranking the prices up. Because they could. The wines are very fairly priced in my opinion.
 
...I can always buy my allocation and DRINK it. No second thoughts about "what it might become with more time" or whether the person I'm drinking it will would know enough about wine to "fully appreciate" the wine. It's not made from noble grape varieties...
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Does it have to be cab sav to age? I don't think so. Admittedly, these are made in a more 'fun', immediate style, but I think they can age well for several years (let's say, 5-6 years).
 
While I agree with Eden, now is fine; I am trying to give some bottles a little time in the cellar. We'll see what happens.
Pricing is fair and the effort given in finding these sources and respecting them in the winery, is not lost on me.
Fun wines.
Best, Jim
 
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