Tegan on Twitter:
Tomorrow at 2 PST join @AntonioGalloni And I on @VinousMedia live. Tuesday April 7
The history of California’s old-vine sites and the re-discovery of heritage varieties.
Zoom Direct Link | or Webinar ID: 844-821-279 & Password: 146565
Hope I can watch, would love to hear him talk about Sandlands and his plans moving forward.
I just watched it…excellent! I see that it was recorded so I highly recommend if you wish to get into some of the history and philosophy of Tegan and his Sandlands label.
Cheers,
JP
Some quick notes I took- thanks again Antonio and Tegan.
He feels most of his wines are ready to go in 3-5 years, though the 2011 Chenin Blanc is finally hitting its stride.
On the 2018 vintage, he compares it to 2013 but with greater density and plush fruit.
His reds (other than the mission and merlot) are all whole cluster- including the zin. Its pump over only- no mechanical agitation as he feels crushing the stems is what releases some of the green compounds.
Grenache form Besson Vineyard (Randl Graham’s?) will be one of the wines in the 2nd release this year.
I also really enjoyed the event. Tegan was so direct and an encyclopedia of unwritten knowledge. Seems like someone that could spend days talking about his stories of various California regions and vineyards and I’d be engaged with every word.
What stuck out to me and what I’d like to know more about is the fact that the contra costa sands have less than .1% organic matter in them which would technically make grape growing impossible. How are the roots finding nutrients and exactly how deep/wide do they go to continue producing a consistent crop each year.
I am new to Sandlands and was totally awed by Tegan’s knowledge and enthusiasm. There aren’t many winemakers who would describe their wines as “bistro wines” that are made to be enjoyed young. It’s terrific that Tegan and a number of others are preserving and making great wines from historic vineyards. Antonio did a great job with the interview.
Cheers,
Hal
How do you watch the recording?
vinous.com > vinous live > select Sandlands / youtube link. I just tried that and it worked…
Cheers,
JP
I’ll have to put that on my to-do list. Thanks, Rama and John.
Vinous also made it available on Youtube: Vinous Live! with Antonio Galloni and guest Tegan Passalacqua of Sandlands - YouTube
Thank you Rama! That was very informative. Due to this website, I learned of Sandlands at the start. It has been a fun ride so far. And, this interview makes the experiences of his wines more fascinating.
Love how he’s keeping the prices at ‘daily drinker’ rates (retirement prevents most burgundy purchases). It has been a informative journey of California old vines. Now that I know so more about his winemaking techniques and vineyards, the journey becomes even more exciting.
Great video! I always learn a lot listening to Tegan!