A historical Pinot Noir at OVER HALF OFF!? Have we gone mad? Well, no but sometimes to be a Spy you need to be a little crazy when it is called for.

Talk about a discovery? When California wine was only known by the locals that settled in these tiny regions. Sanford planted its roots into the Sta. Rita Hills FIRST and began a winery that probably exceeded even their expectations. “Fun Fact: The first tasting room visited in the movie Sideways!”

First the producer. Historical importance? Check! Exceptional quality? Check! Mouth coating complexity? check! Sandford delivers it ALL!

Being the first winery to plant in now a world-famous wine growing region is quite the accomplishment. In 1971, Sanford & Benedict became the first vineyard in the now famous cool climate Sta. Rita Hills AVA. And what grape varietal loves cool climate? That’s right you guessed it, Pinot Noir. This thin skinned and temperamental grape loves to ripen in gentle warm days and then develops sword cutting acidity at night which is exactly what the Santa Barbara County produces.

As for the wine? This comes close to Premier Cru or even Grand Cru Burgundy. Beautifully light in color yet layered with a structure that can be found in some of the top Burgundy vineyard sites. For places like Santa Barbara the 2015 vintage Pinot Noir’s shine in a year marked by a large crop of tannic wines. Hence “delicate but firm”.

You wont find a better expression of California cool climate Pinot Noir anywhere else for this good of a deal.

What are you waiting for?