The trio behind California's Sandhi winery, former Screaming Eagle co-owner Charles Banks, winemaker Sashi Moorman and sommelier Rajat Parr, are set to partner with Evening Land Vineyards in Oregon.
Banks, Moorman and Parr will collaborate with Evening Land Vineyards’ (ELV) owner, Texan venture capitalist Steven Webster. They are understood to have invested capital in ELV, but the subsequent ownership structure remains unclear.
Banks told decanter.com that there were ‘too many moving parts’ to go into specifics about the tie-up at this time, but he did say ‘we will be partnering for the long-term’.
Banks said that he, Moorman and Parr plan to redouble ELV’s focus on its 28-hectare Seven Springs vineyard in Oregon’s Eola-Amity Hills American Viticultural Area (AVA).
‘Our goals are simple but lofty. We want to make wines that express the essence of Seven Springs. We aren’t worried about branding, marketing or anything else,’ said Banks, who already controls Sonoma-based Wind Gap winery and Santa Maria Valley-based Qupe via his Terroir Selections business.
The move marks a return to ELV for Moorman, who was in charge of production at the firm’s Central Coast facility until it closed in 2013.
In May 2013, Moorman joined with Parr to purchase ELV holdings in Santa Rita Hills and create Domaine de la Cote.
ELV started in 2005 and has vineyards in California, Oregon and Burgundy in France. Burgundian winemaker Domenic Lafon is a consultant to the group.
Written by Louis Villard in San Francisco
