Sandlands 2022 Carignane, Contra Costa County

The 2022 Sandlands Carignane feels tense and alive in the glass. First comes tart black plum and cherry, followed by whispers of licorice and dried flowers that feel shaped, not sweet. A core of graphite and stony earth adds weight and context—this isn’t a fruit baritone, it’s layered and probing.

What gives it depth is the vineyard behind it: old‑vines planted in the 1920s on Oakley Road, rooted in decomposed granite—“Dehli blow sand”—that resists vigor and rewards nuance. It’s a wine shaped by pressure: low yields, mineral tension, and serious focus, all holding fruit in command without losing juiciness. 

On the palate, the wine tightens. Dark berries broaden into savory spice and leather, but remain trim thanks to steady acidity and polished tannins. It’s full-flavored but nimble—a tightrope walk between plush and disciplined. 

This Carignane lands as a statement, not a diversion. Tegan Passalacqua’s project continues to lean into California’s heritage vineyards with humility and precision. It doesn’t flinch; it unspools detail glass by glass. A wine like this works with braised lamb or as its own moment of calm complexity.

This is what deep-rooted history tastes like—not polished, but always present.