Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018

Pinot Noir from Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California

92 Wine
Enthusiast

4.2 Very Good (19)

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Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018 Front Bottle Shot

Sanford Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2018 Front Label

Product Details

Varietal

Pinot Noir

Region

Sta. Rita Hills, Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California

Producer

Sanford Winery

Vintage

2018

Size

750ML

ABV

13.5%

Your Rating

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Somm Note

Winemaker Notes

This Pinot Noir is dark ruby in color and is very spice driven on the nose with cloves, lavender, wild mushrooms, and forest floor. The palate delivers spice and savory, dark fruits, espresso, and leather with balanced acid and suave tannin structure, which carries the lovely finish. The wine was aged in French Oak barrels (25% new oak) for 11 months where it gained complexity and elegance.

Professional Ratings

92 Wine Enthusiast
Muddled black-plum-paste, tart cranberry, mace and vanilla aromas show on the nose of this appellation blend, which comes mostly, perhaps entirely, from estate fruit. The dark-plum and mulberry flavors of the palate are lifted by bay leaf, light thyme and dried sage, and set against a chiseled stone structure.

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Sanford Winery

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Sanford Winery Sanford's La Rinconada Vineyard Winery Image

In Santa Barbara wine country, it all started with Sanford Winery. Recognizing a magical combination of climate and soil conditions, the Sanford & Benedict vineyard was plated in 1971, and the resulting wines are now the benchmark of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. Pinot Noir has thrived in the Sta. Rita Hills ever since, and ranks among the best and most distinctive in the world. Sanford's estate vineyards - Rancho La Rinconada and Sanford & Benedict - lie within the 100 square mile AVA, and they rely exclusively on these vineyards for their luscious, signature Pinot Noir. The area owes its magic to an unusual east-west mountain valley that runs from the vineyards to the Pacific Ocean; ideal for cool-climate varietals.

Pinot Noir

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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.”

Sta. Rita Hills Wine

Santa Barbara, California

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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.

HEI352969_2018 Item# 647726