Arnot-Roberts Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Chardonnay, Sta Rita Hills, USA 2021

The Sanford and Benedict Vineyard was planted in 1971 by Richard Sanford and Michael Benedict, a foundational planting as the first vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills of Santa Barbara County. The original site was chosen on a north-facing bench above the Santa Ynez River, just ten miles from the Ocean. The unique east-west orientation of the Santa Ynez Valley provides a direct pathway to the Pacific and its strong cooling influence, drawing cool, foggy air into the valley. The Chardonnay selection is the old Wente clone, planted on its own roots directly in the sandy, silica-rich diatomaceous soils of this incredible site, which have produced wines of singular character for decades. We have been fortunate to work with this iconic site since 2018.