Winemaker Notes
Sanford & Benedict is really the vineyard that started it all in Santa Barbara County. Starting with the 2015 vintage Fess Parker was fortunate to secure several tons of Pinot Noir grapes from one of the most historically significant vineyards in all of California.
Originally planted in 1971, this mature vineyard yields a wine that is beautifully structured while also retaining the finesse and elegance one loves in Pinot Noir.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Pure framboise, redcurrants, crushed stone, white flowers, and spicy nuances all define the aromatics of the 2022 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, a wonderfully pure, medium-bodied Pinot Noir that has the classic purity, precision, and focus of this remarkable site. I love it today yet see no reason it shouldn’t evolve gracefully over the coming decade.
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Wine Enthusiast
Dark cherry joins cola and star anise on the intensely spiced nose of this bottling. The palate is rounded and full of ripe cherry and mace flavors that prove quite bold.
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is terrific. Bright, perfumed and inviting, the S&B has so much to offer. Crushed red berry fruit, spice, rose petal and lavender are beautifully laced together. A dollop of whole clusters (20%) adds aromatic breadth. Like all the 2022s, this feels a bit tense.
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Wine Spectator
A juicy and open-knit crowd-pleaser, with raspberry and kirsch notes backed by red licorice and anise accents on the friendly, toasty finish. Drink now through 2030.
Established in 1989, Fess Parker Winery is a multi-generational family owned and operated winery that has a rich heritage in Santa Barbara County. Fess Parker produces premium, small-lot, vineyard designated Burgundian varietals from the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley as well as Rhône varietals from their organically farmed, SIP Certified estate vineyard.
Outstanding fruit sources, including some of the finest vineyards in the county, coupled with skilled winemaking, led by Blair Fox, form the foundation for the winery’s success. Now three generations in, the Fess Parker Family is proud to carry on Fess’s legacy of wine heritage and hospitality in Santa Barbara.
Fess Parker Winery was proud to be named a Top 100 Winery in the World by Wine & Spirits Magazine in both 2022 and 2023.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.