Winemaker Notes
Bright, ruby red, the 2015 Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir entices with aromatic spicy red fruits, complemented by notes of wet stone and dried herb. The palate delivers earthy raspberry flavors with lush, silky texture. The bright acidity and supple tannin's give the wine great structure and length. To allow the vineyard to shine through, we take a gentle approach in the cellar, using traditional Burgundian techniques. The wine was aged in French Oak barrels (35% new) for 14 months where it gained concentration, while allowing the tannin's to soften. This wine is drinking well now, but has the balance and structure to age beautifully for the next 12 to 15 years.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Deep and rich aromas of berry paste, turned earth and damp wood show on the nose of this bottling from the region's most historic vineyard. Bright red-raspberry flavors decorate an otherwise very earthy palate of dried herbs, potpourri, crushed stone and mossy forest floor
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Wine Spectator
Concentrated raspberry, red plum and wild cherry flavors lengthen out nicely, with a minerally freshness. The contoured finish is vibrantly spicy.
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.