Native Californian Sashi Moorman’s career in wine grew out of his interest in cooking and food. After graduating from Vassar College (senior thesis: “The Geography of Zinfandel”), Sashi worked in New York City and Washington, DC, honing his culinary skills as a line-cook and sous-chef in restaurants like Peter Pastan’s Obelisk and Tom and Jonathan Rapp’s Etats-Unis. Creating seasonal food from the best possible ingredients, Sashi developed the philosophy that guides his winemaking today: what you make should be authentic and personal, made from superlative material.
In 1996, Sashi moved to Ojai, California, to enter a five-year apprenticeship with Adam Tolmach at The Ojai Vineyard. In 2001, Sashi joined Stolpman Vineyards, improving the estate’s vineyard management and creating a strong Syrah and Roussanne estate wine program. Sashi continues his work at Stolpman Vineyards and works intensively at Evening Land Vineyards focusing on the production of estate grown and purchased Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Barbara County.
Sashi and his wife, Melissa, also own their own label, Piedrasassi, focusing on limited production Syrah from distinctive California Central Coast vineyards. He believes the fundamental imperative of winemaking is working with world-class grapes. You can’t make great wine out of average fruit.