Sanford and Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2029
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted duck, wild mushroom risotto, herb-crusted pork tenderloin
✨ Technical Specifications
The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is hallowed ground in California wine history. Planted in 1971 by pioneers Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict, this iconic site in the Sta. Rita Hills proved to the world that world-class Pinot Noir could thrive in the cool, wind-swept valleys of Santa Barbara County. Dominion Tantara pays homage to this legendary terroir by employing traditional, low-intervention winemaking techniques. Sourced from the vineyard's historic soils of clay loam mixed with fractured chert, the wine undergoes fermentation with native yeasts and is aged in select French oak barrels. The result is a Pinot Noir of exceptional pedigree, showcasing a beautiful tension between bright red berry fruit, savory dried herbs, and a distinct, stony minerality that is the hallmark of this historic site.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1997 in California's cool-climate Santa Barbara County, Dominion Tantara is an artisan producer renowned for its site-specific Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Sourcing fruit from celebrated Central Coast terroirs such as Bentrock, Dierberg, and La Encantada vineyards, the winery emphasizes low-intervention, Burgundian-inspired winemaking techniques that showcase the purity of each vintage. Its cellar regime prioritizes indigenous fermentations, gentle handling, and judicious use of French oak to produce focused, elegant wines of remarkable depth and ageability. In addition to its acclaimed single-vineyard and reserve Pinot Noirs, Dominion Tantara crafts refined, small-lot expressions of Chardonnay, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Pinot Noir