AU BON CLIMAT 2012 “Sanford & Benedict Vineyard” Pinot Noir
Santa Barbara Historic Vineyard Collection
Santa Rita Hills, California
VINEYARD
Sanford & Benedict Vineyard was born out of necessity in the late 1960’s after Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict started talking seriously about getting back to the earth and starting a winery. The fine wine grape supply in the Central Coast was practically non-existent. It is one of the pioneering vineyards in what is now known as the Santa Rita Hills AVA. This vineyard has a high degree of calcified marine deposits in the soil, the vineyard orientation is a very cool northern-facing site at an elevation of about 600 feet, and the ocean breezes in what is now the Santa Rita Hills appellation (a sub-appellation of the Santa Ynez Valley) all combine for compelling terroir.
CELLAR
The fruit is fermented in small open top fermenters that receive manual punch downs twice daily. The fruit is then pressed and transferred to Francois Freres French oak barrels, 80% new, for 18 months. The wine is lightly fined with egg whites as needed and bottled unfiltered.