2021 Pinot Noir, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard
Historic Sanford & Benedict is the original Pinot Noir vineyard (est. 1971) in the Santa Ynez Valley (Sta. Rita Hills was not established until 2001). We purchase fruit here from two distinct blocks of older vines (1999) and oldest vines (1972), buying by the acre so we may employ specialized pruning and organic farming practices. These stately vines stand tall on their enormous trunks, while still producing a solid crop of beautifully concentrated grapes. The resulting wines display sappy red and black cherry fruits with old-vine style and grace.
The 2021 wine represents this esteemed vineyard well. A product of a long, slow growing season, the wine has tremendous depth and complexity, but amazing elegance and balance from great acidity and fine-grained tannins. This wine is a worthy successor to the 2020, which received 96 points from Jeb Dunnuck who called it “one of the finest Pinot Noirs from this vineyard in 2020.”
Extremely Limited. Only 350 cases produced.
2021 Pinot Noir, Radian Vineyard
Radian is a magical place. The landscape is stark, steep, scraggly and covered in poison oak and chapparal. The planted slopes are battered daily by cold, salty, high winds, and the soils are parched dry and silty, with diatomaceous earth outcroppings and thin layers of sandy and clay topsoils that cling to the ground against the onslaught of the mighty Pacific’s fury.
The vines here struggle to produce minuscule yields of tiny clusters. But those clusters are immensely flavorful, the thick skins giving firm, robust tannins, which are enveloped by the deep dark fruits, spices, and fresh & dried herbs. This is a singular site, producing a singular wine, and one we are always thrilled to make.
In 2021, the Radian grapes were harvested late, from early to mid-October. The very long year meant we had tremendous flavor development, while acidities remained excellent. The 2021 Radian was fermented on native yeasts, and the wine then aged on its lees for 17 months in French oak cooperage (27% new) before bottling without fining or filtration.
The 2021 Radian Pinot Noir is deep and complex, with a dark red fruit profile (some black cherries and red plums, with raspberry liqueur, pomegranate) with leafy rhubarb and forest floor notes, a streak of granite and minerals, and a good solid backbone of fine tannins. Texturally, the wine is graceful despite the fruit power due to citrus and mineral laced acidity. It is a worthy successor to the 2020, which was lauded as a “wonderful wine” and given 97 points by James Suckling.
Very Limited. Only 500 cases produced, most of which will go to the Wine Club in October 2023. We have a small portion available for sale now. We suggest you get yours very soon or risk missing out.
2021 Pinot Noir, Bentrock Vineyard
Bentrock, sister vineyard to Radian, is located at the far western edge of the Sta. Rita Hills on steep slopes of sandy and shale loam soils and diatomaceous earth. This site is regularly buffeted by ocean winds and cooled by daily fog giving a long, slow growing season. We select grapes from several distinct blocks at different aspects (two north facing, one south facing) and elevations (375-525 feet above sea level) from across the vineyard. The wines from here are intensely fruited but in a leaner frame from the cool location. Wines show red fruits, gentle baking spices, herbs, and marine influenced minerals. Farming is Certified Sustainable (SIP), without herbicides.
The 2021 Bentrock Pinot Noir is composed of wines from three different blocks and clones (115, 113, & 667) from across the labyrinthian vineyard (it snakes across four separate ridges and mesas overlooking the Santa Ynez River). The almost perfect growing season allowed long hang tine and great flavor development, with the added bonus of fabulous natural acidity from the cool year. The wine was fermented with 12% whole clusters and aged on its lees for 15 months in French oak barrels (12% new). The wine shows fresh, lifted, energetic red fruits, some baking spices and savory herb notes, good depth, and a wonderful silky texture in a medium bodied frame. A versatile wine, it could pair with anything (roast poultry, grilled meats, cheese, mushrooms, etc.)
Extremely Limited. Only 190 cases produced.
2021 Pinot Noir, Duvarita Vineyard
Duvarita Vineyard, just west of the Santa Rita Hills appellation, lies on south-facing slopes of almost pure sand. The grapes here are farmed biodynamically, without tilling and with sheep for weed management (and their, ahem, “inputs”). To say that owner Brook Williams is a crusader would be an understatement. The low vigor soils, small canopy, and a low fruit zone combine to make this one of the lowest yielding and earliest ripening vineyards we farm. The small clusters here give wines that are lean and elegant, with terrific intensity, minerality and a remarkable depth of flavor even at lower alcohol levels.
2021 was another low yielding year at Duvarita. Yields were limited by uneven set and the effect of a long drought. The very small crop we did harvest though had remarkably good acidity and concentration. The wine was aged on its lees for 15 months in mostly once-used French oak barrels.
Beyond Limited. Only 75 cases produced.
2021 Pinot Noir, Collaboration (tasting room and wine club only)
Now in its third iteration, this wine was created in “Collaboration” with our Staff. The final blend of six barrels was crafted from more than a dozen barrels from several vineyards. Ultimately, the favorite blend contained wines that were 67% Bentrock Vineyard and 33% Radian Vineyard. The final blend is made from mostly (98%) destemmed fruit from 100% neutral barrels. No egos were harmed in the production of this wine.
We think the 2021 Collaboration shows exuberance, happiness, and smiles, with waves of intriguing red fruits (strawberries, raspberries, pomegranate) and fabulous mineral laced acidity, with a kiss of salt from the nearby Pacific.
The Staff enjoys selling it at the Tasting Room ONLY. Ask to try it when you are in town, and we are sure you will want to take some home.
Extremely Limited, only 150 cases produced.
Shipping Information
As we near the summer months and temps across the country rise, please note that we have Fedex refrigerated shipping available (if needed). Shipments go out every two weeks throughout the summer so no need to wait until Fall to enjoy these wines. Most areas have little or no upcharge for this service. We will, of course, check every shipment and let you know if temperature control is needed for yours. Orders in by May 14th are eligible to ship temperature controlled May 15th for delivery on May 23rd/24th. The last mile of the delivery is via Fedex Express AM delivery and thus important for an adult to be present for your delivery day. Business addresses are highly advised for temperature sensitive shipments.
In Conclusion
Please enjoy these wines in health and happiness, with family and friends, with great meals or without, and let us know how they made you feel. We love to hear from you! And come visit us in Los Olivos or Buellton. The green hills, blue skies, sunshine and cooling breezes are a great backdrop for tasting the terrific wines of Santa Barbara.
Juve Buenrostro has been managing the excellent crew here, led by Manuel (Meno) Cardoza, which has been farming our sections for more than 10 years. At Juve’s direction, Meno and the team perform precise pruning and canopy management strategies just for us, eschewing the extra canes and other high production techniques often characteristic of other Sauvignon Blanc vineyards. We love these guys and gals!
Vogelzang continues its run of spectacular vintages. We have leased several acres here since 2009, and these wines have been some of our most highly sought after wines. Farming is by the acre, with specialized pruning, canopy management and irrigation strategies. As with Grassini, Juve Buenrostro runs the team at Vogelzang, and they provide truly excellent farming. Vines are now almost 25 years old, reducing yields and concentrating flavors.
We do not like to say too much about Grimm’s Bluff. It is a small vineyard, producing very little fruit. But, it is such a remarkable site and produces such exquisite Sauvignon Blanc that we feel fortunate, even downright lucky to obtain fruit here. We love the farming team too, led by Rick Grimm and Garrett Gamache. Here it is all about quality. We have three separate blocks here (head trained clone 1, vertical shoot position (“VSP”) clone 1 and VSP musque clone). The small amounts of grapes we receive are specially handled, mostly in French oak “cigars” initially developed by Didier Dagueneau, a portion of which is new (light long toast). Here the wood frames the wine, stretching it and lengthening it so that the finish lasts minutes.
This wine was crafted from selected barrels from all of our Pinot Noir vineyards in order to make a wine of great flavor, complexity and harmony. We chose barrels that demonstrate approachability, an engaging personality, freshness and charm. The wine is comprised of grapes from Fiddlestix (32%) Radian (22%), Sanford & Benedict (12%), Bentrock (10%), Rancho La Vina (6%), La Rinconada (6%), Spear (6%) and Duvarita (6%), each block of which was carefully followed all season, harvested with field sorting and processed within hours.
Painfully small yields of Chardonnay in 2022 meant that we decided to focus on single vineyard wines. Duvarita is biodynamically farmed, using regenerative practices, and yields a tiny crop of uniquely expressive fruit.
MJM is our flagship, Syrah-based blend, named in honor of our wives Michelle, Jen and Mitchi. We farm Syrah from several precise blocks in both Ballard Canyon and Sta. Rita Hills, and we select only the finest, most dramatic, barrels for this blend, to which we add small amounts of Grenache. The resulting wine is given additional aging until we feel it is ready for bottling. Depending upon vintage, élevage lasts anywhere from 24 to 34 months.
This dramatic hillside site lies on the eastern border of the Sta. Rita Hills and is one of the coolest sites planted to Rhone varietals in all of California. Each block contains a different clone and rootstock combination (470 on 5BB, Estrella and 383 are own rooted). The steep hillside soils are clay-loam over limestone. The cool wind and fog at this site provide for an extremely long season. These grapes produce a dark, intensely aromatic wine, with cool black and blue berry fruits, great freshness, mineral lift and solid structure for aging.
The 2021 Seven is comprised of 95% Syrah, 3% Grenache and 2% Viognier sourced from top-flight vineyards in Sta. Rita Hills and Ballard Canyon: 50% Stolpman (Ballard Canyon / Sustainable), 30% Spear (Sta. Rita Hills/Cert. Organic), 15% Kimsey (Ballard Canyon / Cert. Organic), 5% John Sebastiano (Sta. Rita Hills/Organic). The wine was aged in neutral French oak (228L barriques, 400L, and 500L puncheons) for 9 months before being blended and then returned to barrel for an additional 8 months aging before bottling.
Grenache at John Sebastiano grows on a steep, south-east facing hillside of almost pure sand on the eastern edge of the block and slightly heavier sandy clay loam toward the west and at the bottom of the block. The block is typically picked very late but at relatively low sugar levels for Grenache. These grapes produce a cool, energetic, mineral-laden wine with juicy, high toned, aromatic red fruits, fresh herbs, and good structure for aging.
Here she is, our most dramatic Pinot Noir, the Black Label. The Black Label program was forged from a single barrel in 2010 that simply insisted that we create a cuvee of our most expressive Pinot Noirs from our favorite vineyards. Since then, this wine has gone on to become a Club favorite and to garner consistently high critical praise and even a 100 point score (from Jeb Dunnuck on 2019 version). We think the 2021, being a product of a long cool vintage is right up there with the 2019.
Our longest tenured single vineyard wine, the single vineyard Fiddlestix was first made in 2008 (though we bought grapes back in 2006 here as well). This venerable vineyard was planted by pioneering winemaker Kathy Joseph in 1998. Since then, it has gone on to become a stalwart member of the Sta Rita Hills appellation. Across the road from Sanford & Benedict and La Rinconada and just below Sea Smoke and Rita’s Crown, Fiddlestix forms an integral part of what we like to call the tenderloin of the SRH. Others refer to this as the “goldilocks zone”, just close enough to the ocean to be cooled by wind and fog, but far enough away to obtain optimal ripeness. Recently Kathy sold the vineyard to a fantastic ownership group, and we have been able to retain (and in some cases expand) our holdings in various blocks. The future looks bright here.
Rita’s Crown sits majestically above the famous Mt. Carmel monastery at some of the highest elevations in the Sta. Rita Hills (up to 850 feet). Our blocks are located on very steep, south and southwest facing hillsides of clay and silty clay loam with abundant diatomaceous earth. The mighty pacific sends daily fog and intense afternoon winds to this high elevation site, which is perched over the Santa Ynez River as it meanders toward its terminus at Surf Beach. The remoteness and wildness of the site is enhanced by the abandoned wreck of the former monastery, which gives off a feeling of some ancient place like Greece or Italy that is similarly dry, parched and hardscrabble. The wines are as intense as the legends that one conjures in his mind, the skins thick from all the wind, produce strong phenolics, and the dustry dry soil promotes intensity.
This wine is a reserve-level blend of our favorite barrels from the vintage. The 2021 Black Label is crafted from three of the most extreme, wind-battered, sites in Sta Rita Hills (if not anywhere): rocky, windswept Bentrock (50%), steep, diatomaceous Rita’s Crown (33%) and the salty, marine and gale-force-wind-influenced Radian (17%). These difficult sites produce small clusters of thick skinned, tiny berry Chardonnay that has massive concentration, but also very high acids and a resounding mineral streak. The 2021 wine was fermented and aged on its lees in French oak barriques (67% new) with malolactic fermentation occurring spontaneously in barrel, and a finished pH of 3.29, with a TA of 6.5 g/L. These barrels have been a joy to taste since they completed ML (native). The resulting wine is aged for 18 months on its lees without stirring, before selection, blending and bottling.
This wine is blended from all four of our vineyards. We choose barrels (or tanks) that have a more energetic, taut, and lively character, along with the depth and concentration that these fabulous vineyards can provide when farmed properly. The wine ages for a total of 8 months on the lees, before it is blended, cold stabilized with a light fining (plant and soil-based fining agents) and gently cross-flow filtered before bottling. This wine has routinely been highly rated by critics and coveted by top restaurants. The wine pairs with a tremendous variety of foods with weight and interest lifted by great structure and acidity.
2021 was a relatively long, even, and generally cool year. Winter was dry and cold, but rainfall was very low until an atmospheric river arrived in March and dumped 5 inches of rain in two days. This late season rain helped push budbreak back a bit and cleansed the soils. The Spring was generally cool and windy, extending flowering somewhat, but neither frost nor shatter were a problem. June was cool and foggy, while July turned warmer, but still generally under 90 degrees in Happy Canyon. August was also relatively cool, with even the warmest days cooling off at night. A mostly cool early September (excluding the usual Labor Day heatwave) allowed gentle slow ripening of Sauvignon Blanc, which were picked over a ten-day period in early September. The long season gave grapes with great ripeness at fabulous acidity. Grapes were picked in our three blocks from September 3, 6, 7 & 9. Yields were solid and acidities were still excellent due to the cool year.
Vogelzang is a tremendous site. We have leased several acres here since 2009, and these wines have been some of our most decorated and long-lived wines – as much as the reds! Vines are now over 20 years old, reducing yields and concentrating flavors. This has always been a top performer in our lineup, and the wine has historically aged remarkably (the 2009 is still going strong, and the 2015 and 2017 still have many years ahead of them).
From its inception, Grimm’s Bluff has been painstakingly and biodynamically farmed for top quality grapes, yields be damned. The vineyard produces extremely small vines and tiny clusters, which give highly concentrated fruit. We selected three separate blocks (head trained clone 1, vertical shoot position (“VSP”) clone 1 and VSP musque clone) for this wine, which is aged in French oak Cigars, a portion of which is new (light long toast). Here the wood frames the wine, stretching it and lengthening it so that the finish lasts minutes.
The 16th vintage of this wine, and a fabulous one it is! This wine was crafted from selected barrels from all of our Pinot Noir vineyards in order to make a wine of great flavor, complexity and harmony. We chose barrels that demonstrate approachability, an engaging personality, freshness and charm. The wine is comprised of grapes from Radian (42%), Bentrock (17%), Sanford & Benedict (14%), Fiddlestix (12%), Rancho La Vina (9%), La Rinconada (3%) and Spear (3%). The wine was aged 15 months on its lees in neutral French oak barriques, then blended and bottled without filtration. The cool vintage gives this wine a great combination of ripeness with structure, energy and length.
Our answer to the constant Chardonnay questions – no, Chardonnay does not have to be buttery, or oaky or heavy. Here in the cool Sta. Rita Hills, the Chardonnay has great yellow and tropical fruits but with fabulous acidity and intrigue from the mineral impression as well as energy, lift and cut. We are very pleased with this wine, right out of the gate, it has been balanced and seamless and delicious. 85% Rita’s Crown and 15% Duvarita, fermented and aged for 15 months on its lees, in mostly second fill French Oak barrels. Due to low yields this wine is extremely limited. Only 140 cases made.
80% Grenache, 13% Mourvèdre, 7% Graciano
**Note to Wine Club Members – This wine will appear in your Spring 2023 Shipment (April 2023). 
**Note to Wine Club Members – This wine will appear in your Winter 2023 Shipment (January 2023). 
Grenache at Peake Ranch grows on a south-east facing hillside of sandy and clay loam on the eastern edge of the cool Sta. Rita Hills. Syrah in Sta Rita Hills is typically picked very late but at relatively low sugar levels for Grenache. These grapes produce a cool, energetic, mineral-laden wine with juicy, high toned, aromatic red fruits, fresh herbs, and good structure for aging.