Sandhi, Rita's Crown Chardonnay, Santa Barbara County 2011

Sandhi is the brainchild of sommelier-winemaker Raj Parr, who benefits from tips from his friend Jean-Marc Roulot of Meursault—and it shows. The 2011 Sandhi Rita’s Crown is a stunning Chardonnay, bursting from the glass with aromas of lemon oil, apple, wet rocks, spring flowers, a framing of vanilla oak and nutty suggestions of reduction. On the palate the wine is intensely concentrated with a lovely core of deep minerality and beautiful cut and focus.