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Sanford

The story of Sanford Winery starts with the Sanford and Benedict Vineyard, which was established in 1971 by geography graduate and Navy veteran Richard Sanford, together with botanist Michael Benedict. Planted entirely with Pinot Noir, much to the amusement of local farmers who forecast disaster for the venture, the vineyard was a first for the Santa Ynez Valley. But Sanford and Benedict were proved right; by 1976 they had released their first vintage to much critical acclaim, and Santa Ynez claimed its place on the wine map of California.

By 1980 Sanford and his partner Benedict parted company, and with his wife Thekla Richard established the Sanford Winery as it is today, with a new vineyard and offices located at Rancho El Jabali in the Santa Rita Hills, east of the original Sanford & Benedict Vineyard. At this time they took on a fledgling winemaker Bruno D'Alfonso, who remains with the firm today. This new partnership was a strong foundation for the firm which grew and developed, one of the most significant additions being a minor partnership for Robert Atkin, who by then owned the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard; thus Richard was reunited with the fruits of his original venture. Subsequently Sanford and company planted up two further vineyards, La Rinconada, where there is also a brand new winery facility, completed in 2001, and La Vina; with both, the firm have continued with what they do best, as Burgundian varieties - predominately Pinot Noir - were the first choice for planting. The first vintage from La Rinconada was the 1999, from La Vina the 2003.

All of Sanford's vineyards are located in the Santa Rita Hills AVA as approved in 2001, at the western end of the Santa Ynez Valley. La Rinconada is a 52 ha site of shaly clay-loam and sandy loam, with loam soils. It is dominated by Chardonnay, but also with much Pinot Noir, predominantly Dijon clones 667 and 777. This is in contrast with the original Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, which is 28 ha of predominantly Mount Eden clone Pinot Noir, planted on clay and loam soils. This preponderance for Dijon clones reflects the growing recognition of the importance of clone selection for Pinot Noir, which has a major impact on the eventual quality and style of wine. The two newest vineyards, El Jabali and La Vina, are a David and Goliath partnership; El Jabali, a mix of clay, limestone and loam, is a 3 ha site planted in equal proportions to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, whereas La Vina is 40 ha, almost entirely planted to Pinot Noir, on clay and sandy loam. All of the vineyards are managed organically; this includes pest control by release of predatory insects and planting of cover crops. In addition, Sanford maintains a large expanse of land, more than equal to what is planted up as vineyard, as protected natural habitat and woodland, and is involved in programmed release of endangered (thanks to the use of DDT in farming) Peregrine falcons. Clearly Sanford has been dedicated to his environment; the only reason the wines aren't labelled as organic is apparently the wineries commitment to the use of a little sulphur to prevent oxidation.

The cuvées of interest are very Burgundian in variety, starting with estate wines up to the single vineyard releases. The straight Sanford Pinot Noir is made from a blend of fruit from the Sanford vineyards, and spends up to ten months in French oak (25% new) before bottling without filtration. The Sanford Chardonnay is barrel-fermented, although the wood influence is not as marked as you might expect thanks to the utilisation of old rather than new oak. From the La Rinconada Vineyard come a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir, the former spending a year in new French oak, the latter up to twenty months in same. The Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir receives similar treatment; both wines are, in my limited experience, very good examples of New World Pinot, showing plentiful fruit but also delightful texture, weight and flavour.

Whether we will have such quality maintained in the future, however, is a moot point. A downturn in the US economy following the huge investment in the new vineyards, on top of disagreement with partners Paterno Imports regarding the often costly organic nature of Sanford's viticultural practices, was more pressure than he could bear. In 2005 Sanford and his eponymously named winery parted company; rumour has it he will start again with a new label, whereas the Sanford Winery will morph into a less organic operation with fewer overheads as a result. (20/9/05)

Contact details:
Address: 7250 Santa Rosa Road, Buellton, CA 93427
Telephone: +1 805 688 3300
Fax: +1 805 688 7381
Internet: www.sanfordwinery.com

Sanford - Tasting Notes

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Sanford Chardonnay (Santa Rita Hills) 2002: Stylish, subtle, lemon-curd aromas. Understated, showing good fruit, and this translates through to the palate, which has a fresh, balanced poise. Peppery spice, good fruit, and an excellent acid structure. This has a lovely style. 16.5+/20 (November 2004)

Sanford Pinot Noir (Santa Rita Hills) 2001: Moderate depth of hue. Bright cherry fruit on the nose. Rather straightforward. Good structure, fine acidity, moderate concentration. A rather understated style again, but with a simple character. Good everyday Pinot that may show some short-term improvement. 15.5+/20 (November 2004)

Sanford Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Rita Hills) 2001: Old vines, averaging over 30 years. Primary fruit nose. Seamless, silky texture, with a moderate weight. Decent concentration, peppery acidity, and a good, ripe tannic backbone. Finishes well. This is elegant, impressive wine which should improve over the next 5-7 years. 17+/20 (November 2004)

Sanford La Rinconada Vineyard Pinot Noir (Santa Rita Hills) 2001: Less aged 10 year old vines, Dijon clones. Svelte, smoky fruit on the nose. This is immediately showing its class. Beautiful palate; creamy-silky, delicious, full, textured, plump. Still has some unintegrated smoky oak, but with time this will fade. Nevertheless, it's very approachable now. Firm finish. Lovely style indeed - I am very impressed. 17.5+/20 (November 2004)