SHARE THIS EPISODE ⤴
Born in Calcutta, Rajat credits his uncle in London for first introducing him to great wines. After earning a bachelor’s degree in Hotel Administration, Rajat entered the Culinary Institute of America at Hyde Park, New York. He began his wine career as an apprentice to acclaimed master sommelier, Larry Stone at Rubicon in San Francisco. There, he worked closely with Larry, gaining extensive knowledge of great wines from around the world and developed an affection for the wines of Burgundy.
Raj went on to become wine director for The Mina Group, overseeing the wine programs in each restaurant as the group grew to 25 outposts throughout the world. He partnered with Chef Michael Mina, opening RN74 in San Francisco. Raj partnered with Sashi Moorman in 2009, founding Sandhi Wines, a négociant based in the Sta. Rita Hills. Together with Sashi, Parr also oversees Evening Land’s Seven Springs Vineyard in Oregon and owns Domaine de la Cote, a collection of vineyards planted over 60 acres of south-facing slope at the western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation.
In this episode, Raj and I dig into his story of being both a sommelier and winemaker, we chat about the fascinating topic of the terroir of California, and Raj tell us about his new book The Atlas of Taste along with his new, 500 person wine club he’s opening soon.
In this episode we mention…
Domaine de la Cote
Sandhi Wines
Evening Land Vineyards
Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
Larry Stone
Sashi Moorman
The Sommelier’s Atlas of Taste
FOLLOW RAJAT ON…
WEBSITE | INSTAGRAM
FOLLOW CRU