Winemaker Notes
A combination of three parcels throughout the famous Sanford & Benedict vineyard. Two of the plantings are 10-12 years old, but certainly responsible for the dark, deep core of this wine. The third piece, a small fermentation of the original, own-rooted plantings from 1971, brings the elegance and floral lift.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is a fantastically balanced and multifaceted expression of this site. The nose leads with measured, refined aromas of red cherries, green tea, sagebrush and orange peels. The palate is weightlessly concentrated yet refreshingly succulent, seamlessly moving into a thunderous, lifted finish of fine-boned structure and finely detailed acidity.
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Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is a powerful, dense wine. A high percentage of whole clusters (50%) is a strong marker. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice open with some coaxing. The 2021 is a very pretty wine. This opens beautifully with time in the glass. For my palate, I would like to see more site character and less overt stem influence.
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Wine Spectator
This red throws off a fresh and inviting flourish of steeped mulberry, red currant and raspberry, while a backdrop of rooibos tea, singed mesquite and iris accents adds range through the finish. Shows generosity, with a matrix to match thanks to the steely spine buried on the finish. Drink now through 2033. 428 cases made.
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.