Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2032
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, herb-crusted rack of lamb
✨ Technical Specifications
The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, planted in 1971 by pioneers Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict, is the historic birthplace of premium Pinot Noir in the Sta. Rita Hills. Featuring some of the oldest own-rooted Pinot Noir vines in the region, this vineyard is defined by its fractured shale and diatomaceous soils, constantly cooled by maritime winds from the nearby Pacific Ocean. Winemaker Jim Clendenen of Au Bon Climat began sourcing from this legendary site in the early 1980s, creating a single-vineyard bottling that serves as a masterclass in restraint and terroir expression. Crafted using traditional Burgundian methods, including open-top fermenters and aging in classic Francois Frères French oak barrels, this wine is renowned for its bright acidity, savory herbal undertones, and structured red fruit profile, representing a historic bridge between Old World elegance and New World terroir.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1982 by the visionary late winemaker Jim Clendenen and Adam Tolmach, Au Bon Climat is situated in the cool-climate expanse of the Santa Maria Valley in Santa Barbara County, California. Operating out of the acclaimed Bien Nacido Vineyard, the winery forged an international reputation by championing restraint, balance, and classical Burgundian traditions long before cool-climate California viticulture entered the mainstream. Driven by early harvesting, indigenous fermentations, and meticulous French oak aging, Au Bon Climat crafts structured, age-worthy wines distinguished by high natural acidity and moderate alcohol levels. The estate is celebrated globally for its expressive site-specific and reserve bottlings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, including iconic signature labels such as Knox Alexander, Isabelle, and Nuits-Blanches au Bouge.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
13.5%