Sanford Winery estate spotlight
The official Sanford Winery channel films Pinot Noir winemaking at the Sta. Rita Hills estate, the same grape, house, and vineyards behind this 2021 half bottle.
The market on this bottle
Wine-Searcher tracks this 2021 Sanford Winery Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills across the open market. Their published U.S. low is $38.49 and the average is $47.78. Our slash is $15.00.
375ML 2021 Sanford Winery Pinot Noir, Sta Rita Hills
Trey Fletcher's Sta. Rita Hills Pinot from Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada, a 375 milliliter estate pour at fifteen dollars.
The 2021 Sanford Pinot is estate fruit in a 375 mL bottle: 54 percent Sanford & Benedict, 46 percent La Rinconada, 11 months in 25 percent new French oak, Jeb Dunnuck 93, now $15.
The vineyard that started Sta. Rita Hills, in a bottle you will finish
A Sta. Rita Hills estate Pinot is easier to open when the bottle is 375 milliliters. Sanford & Benedict for lift, La Rinconada for depth, Trey Fletcher in the cellar. Jeb Dunnuck 93 for spiced raspberries, flowers, underbrush, and peppery herbs. Wine Spectator 92: tangy pomegranate and blood orange, fresh, pure, brisk edged. You just do not have to commit to a 750.
The house
Richard Sanford planted Sanford & Benedict in 1971, the first Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County. Terlato owns the house. Trey Fletcher makes the wine.
The wine
100% Pinot Noir. 54% Sanford & Benedict, 46% La Rinconada. 11 months French oak, 25% new. 13% ABV.
The scores
Jeb Dunnuck 93. Wine Spectator 92, drink now to 2030.
The drinker
Cherry and pomegranate first. Serve near 55 F. Duck with cherry sauce or roasted salmon.
Cherry, pomegranate, then a brisk mineral snap
Jeb Dunnuck found a brilliant nose of spiced raspberries, flowers, underbrush, and peppery herbs. Wine Spectator: lively, tangy pomegranate and blood orange, fresh, pure, brisk edged.
2021 delivered excellent flavor depth with vivid acidity. It is exactly what you want in cool-climate Pinot: purity, freshness, and a long mineral line. Half bottles tend to come around quickly.
Fresh cherry, alpine strawberry, spice cake, white pepper, rose, spiced raspberry.
Medium-bodied, bright acidity, supple tannin, 13% ABV, 11 months French oak, 25% new.
High-toned florals and a mineral snap. Serve near 55 F. Optional 10 to 15 minutes of air.
Trey Fletcher's estate blueprint
On the Sanford sheet, Trey Fletcher builds this bottling as a true estate snapshot: distinct blocks and soil types from the two cornerstone sites, then restrained oak so fruit and energy stay at the center.
Sanford & Benedict, 54 percent, gives lift and classic red-fruit clarity. La Rinconada, 46 percent, adds depth and mineral edge.
Eleven months in French oak, 25 percent new. 13 percent ABV. The 375 milliliter format does not change the method. It changes how much you commit to on a weeknight.
The vineyard that started the conversation
Sanford & Benedict is not just a vineyard name. It is a Sta. Rita Hills origin story.
Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict planted Sanford & Benedict in 1971, the first Pinot Noir in Santa Barbara County, in a cool canyon the Pacific still owns at night.
The Sta. Rita Hills AVA came in 2001. Terlato has owned the house since 2005. Trey Fletcher leads the cellar.
The 2021 half bottle is that same estate Pinot in a format built for two glasses, travel, or a Tuesday that does not require a 750.
Duck with cherry, salmon with butter
Cool-climate Pinot wants rich meat and a bright fruit plate, not a heavy cream sauce that hides the acid.
Two plates. One duck breast with cherry sauce. One roasted salmon with butter. Both fit a half bottle.
Serve near 55 F after a 15 minute chill. Optional 10 to 15 minutes of air. A Burgundy bowl. Half bottles open quickly.
Sweet Tart Duck Breasts With Fresh Cherry Sauce
Duck and cherry is classic Pinot logic: rich meat, bright fruit, and acidity that keeps every bite clean.
Why it works: Duck fat softens fine tannin. Cherry echoes alpine strawberry and pomegranate. The brisk finish resets the plate.
View Recipe for sweet tart duck breasts with fresh cherry sauce (opens in a new tab)
Roasted Salmon with Butter
A lighter plate: buttery salmon meets bright red fruit, florals, and the mineral snap on the finish.
Why it works: Butter cushions Pinot tannin. Salmon keeps the pairing clean so cherry, rose, and the mineral close stay in view.
View Recipe for roasted salmon with butter (opens in a new tab)Open the half tonight
Same Sta. Rita Hills estate Pinot, Trey Fletcher, a 375 milliliter you will actually finish. Fifteen dollars against a $40 typical retail.
Put six in the cart. This is Sanford Pinot without leftover-bottle math.
