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. Its geography allows for cooler growing conditions, particularly helpful when working with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Organically farmed, and barrel-fermented using wild yeast, this Chardonnay is silky smooth but vibrantly zippy—an Eva Marie Saint of the wine world. Duncan Arnot Meyers and Nathan Lee Roberts are two of the most dynamic winemakers in all of California, and have been leading the charge for site-specific, somewhat off-the-beaten-path varietal wines since their inception in 2001. They are paradigm-shifters for the state and the country. Winemaking at Arnot-Roberts borrows from both the old world and new, 'Old School' and new as well. While each wine gets its own regime, the general technique includes wild fermentations, little or no new wood, and whole-cluster inclusion for the red wines. 12.0% ABV
