2022 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir, Sanford

The Original Legend

The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is where it all began. In 1971, this was the first vineyard planted in what became the Sta. Rita Hills. This iconic vineyard now contains the oldest Pinot Noir vines in Santa Barbara County.

The 2022 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir is a wine of precision, beautifully layered and energetic. Black cherries, white pepper, and mandarins all grace this racy wine. The palate is silky and seamless, with a pure and suave texture. This wine is delicious now, yet has the balance and structure to age gracefully for some time.

To allow the vineyard to shine through, the winemakers take a gentle approach in the cellar, using traditional Burgundian techniques.

For when: Pinot Noir deserves reverence.
Pairs with: roast duck, lamb or wild mushrooms.
If this wine were a place: an old Burgundian cellar with a Pacific breeze.

Few wineries can claim to have helped create an entire wine region. Sanford Winery is one of them. In 1971, Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict planted the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, the first vineyard in what would later become the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Their belief that this cool, windswept corner of Santa Barbara County could produce world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay proved revolutionary. Today the region is considered one of California’s greatest cool-climate terroirs for Burgundian varieties.

At the heart of the estate are the historic Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada vineyards, where ocean breezes from the nearby Pacific create a long growing season and wines of remarkable freshness and precision. The style here is defined by balance rather than power, Chardonnay with mineral tension and Pinot Noir with perfume, structure and elegance. These are wines that capture the unique character of the Sta. Rita Hills is a place where California sunshine meets coastal cool, and the result is something truly special.