Description

The Sanford Winery is a renowned estate in the cool Santa Rita Hills AVA north of Santa Barbera. Their pioneering Sanford and Bennedict Vineyard, planted in 1971 by Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict started the craze for Chardonnay and Pinot in the region.

Their stunning Sanford and Benedict vineyard Pinot Noir comes a third from the original un-grafted vines plated in 1972 and the remainder from a selection of the  11 different Pinot Noir clones they grow. The grapes are whole bunch fermented in open stainless steel vats with a mic of wild and selected yeast. The wine then ages for 14 months in French oak, 40%new.