2020 Au Bon Climat Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard

This wine comes from the Historic Vineyard collection. This collection originally represented five iconic vineyards that were instrumental in increasing the recognition of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Central Coast. Today, ABC's Historic Collection includes wines from the Los Alamos, Bien Nacido, Talley and Sanford & Benedict vineyards. These established vineyards allow for wines of great intensity and character. As the official exclusive importer of Au Bon Climat, we naturally carry these wines.

Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is one of the great Pinot vineyards of the world. The wine has a nose of fragrant red and black cherries, star anise and earth. The palate is silky and expansive with nuanced, spicy berry notes boosted by fine acidity, with a long finish. Scored 95+ points from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate; 94 points Wine & Spirits Magazine; 92 points Wine Lover; 90 points Wine.

The vineyard was planted in 1971 and the Pinot Noir was selected from the oldest section of the Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, located in the very cool Sta. Rita Hills - one of America's great Pinot vineyards.

After being carefully hand picked in the early morning hours, the grapes arrived at the winery nice and cold. Cool grapes allow time for a cold soak and slower fermentation. During the cold, prolonged soaking, the fruit-driven aromas and flavors are much more pronounced. The slower fermentation also aided in the gradual extraction of additional aromas and flavors as the alcohol content slowly increased. 50% of the fruit was fermented in whole bunches to further enhance the intensity and spice. The wine was further aged in new French oak Francois Frères barrels. and spent a total of 22 months in the barrel before being bottled unfiltered and having some additional bottle aging.

The background story

Planted in 1971, the fruit they use is selected from the oldest section of the prestigious Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, located in the very cool Sta. Rita Hills appellation. It is truly one of the best Pinot vineyards in America. Jim Clendenen noticed the "magic" of Sanford & Benedict early on. He purchased a few tons of grapes from Michael Benedict in the mid-80s, and Au Bon Climat has received grapes from the vineyard every year since then except one (when the vineyard was in transition in 1990). It's a relationship that spans more than 4 decades. Only Sanford Winery has such a "history" with this vineyard. The iconic, sustainably farmed vineyard was instrumental in raising awareness that Santa Barbara County produces world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. As a result, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard earned a spot in Au Bon Climat's Santa Barbara Historic Vineyards Collection series.

FACT: In the 'Attachments' tab you will find the official fact sheet of this beautiful wine. We will automatically send it to you when you order this wine. The wine is in our conditioned Wine Warehouse and if you come to pick up the wine you will often also receive a nice discount . You will see your discount immediately when you choose 'Pick up' on the checkout page. We are located in Dordrecht almost next to the A16 with plenty of parking. Click here for our address.