SANFORD WINERY AND THE SANFORD & BENEDICT VINEYARD

I finally made it to Sanford Winery, home of the remarkable Sanford & Benedict vineyard, which is considered by many the crown jewel of the Sta. Rita Hills. Its quick rise to excellence helped support and encourage a young Santa Barbara wine region in its belief that it could produce Pinot Noir grapes that would be the envy of the world of wine.

Botanist Michael Benedict and Richard Sanford planted their namesake vineyard in 1971 originally to Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Riesling from vine cuttings from the Uriel Nielson vineyard in Santa Maria. The following year the pair felt confident enough to try and plant the heartbreak grape Pinot Noir, as well as Merlot. By the late 70’s the vines and its owners were beginning to produce wines that realized the vineyards potential with notable winemakers such as Rick Longoria and Ken Brown describing them as a revelation to how great the Sta. Rita Hills could be.

Comparison of different vineyard sites and clones of Pinot Noir.

About 50 acres of the original dry farmed vineyard still survive today and are non-grafted unlike the majority of California vineyards today. Almost 50 years old, these Pinot Noir vines are the oldest planted in the Sta. Rita Hills. These old vines don’t lie, producing a power and precision that only mature vines can produce. Red apple skin, cranberry and red raspberry fruit soaked with invigorating mineral water are just some fun features of this wine. The exact clone of these Pinot Noir vines have not yet been identified but were brought from a vineyard started by Karl Wente in Arroyo Seco so take your best guess somms.

Power, precision and elegance all wrapped up in one bottle.

Today the vineyard is beloved by the current generation of Santa Barbara winemakers such as Gavin Chanin, Jonata winemaker Matt Dees, Raj Parr of Sandhi, and Justin Willett, owner and winemaker of Tyler to just count a few. Much has been written about the esteemed Sanford & Benedict vineyard, so I encourage anyone who wants to learn more to read some great articles I’ll highlight and link to below. The Wine Write published a great interview with Richard Sanford that mentions how living on the vineyard was also a therapeutic and healing experience to move past the Vietnam War for him and this great article by Richard Jennings features Michael Benedict talking about the early years of the vineyard.

In 1997 the La Rinconada vineyard was planted to primarily Pinot Noir and Chardonnay by Richard Sanford as a companion site adjacent to its famed older brother vines. This vineyard produces excellent quality as well and should not be overlooked in the giant shadow the Sanford & Benedict vineyard can cast. The 2017 La Rinconada Chardonnay features eye watering acidity which is impressive as the wine undergoes a full malolactic fermentation. A mineral and saline quality is found here with pear, apple and a slight underripe pineapple fruit character.

Pretty red fruit dominant or denser spiced sandalwood. Both great choices.

Sanford winery does a great job showcasing both vineyards with wines featuring each vineyard, specific blocks and clones and a separate bottling made from the remaining original Pinot Noir vines planted. The 2016 La Rinconada Pinot Noir is filled with pretty cherry and pomegranate fruit, hibiscus, and an underlying citrus edge. This wine stands out in contrast from the 2015 Loma Alta Pinot Noir which has a denser Earthy character at its core. The wine is impressively communicative, expressing both a dry dusty wooden cellar quality and also a mossy forest fresh air vivacity. The wine is sourced from a single vineyard block and features the 115 Pinot Noir clone. The 2016 Gravity Flow Pinot Noir is full of pretty pure red fruit expression much like the previous La Rinconada Pinot. A citrus orange peel character integrates well with refreshing watermelon and bright cherry fruit. The 2016 Block 4D Pinot Noir features sandlewood and spice aromas, red currant fruit and a denser quality.

So sunny and yet still so cold. Refrigerated Sta. Rita Hills sunlight.

The fantastic term of “refrigerated sunshine” used by Richard Sanford over the years to describe the climate of the Sta. Rita Hills has had many winemakers and producers of the region enthusiastically adopting this apt description. I had heard of this description before but I’ll admit that I never fully understood it until I was standing in the vineyards at Sanford Winery. While I was taking the photo above, I was shivering from a constant cold wind blowing through the vines. Eventually it dawned on me that it was shortly before 1 in the afternoon with no cloud cover from the hot July sun. Refrigerated sunlight indeed!