2021 Storm Wines Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard Sta. Rita Hills 750 ml

Jeb Dunnuck didn’t mince words in his 97-point review of today’s 2021 Storm Pinot Noir Sanford and Benedict Vineyard: "If you see these, you should buy them."

An iconic vineyard, a masterful winemaker, and Wine Spectator’s top-rated California Pinot vintage of all time: The stars aligned to make Storm Wines’ 2021 Sanford & Benedict Pinot Noir one of THE wines of the vintage in Santa Barbara county. It’s so good that Dunnuck even invoked a sacred Grand Cru, calling the wine “a Chambertin-like effort.”

In a just world, Ernst Storm would already be a star. With placements at MICHELIN–three-star restaurants like San Diego’s Addison, he’s clearly becoming one—it just took 16 years for the world to take notice. He’s one of Santa Barbara County's most brilliant winemakers, rendering A+ sites into refined, balanced, Burgundian-style wines with beautiful fruit and thrust. 

A native of South Africa, Storm studied at Elsenburg Agricultural School outside of Stellenbosch. His brother Hannes operates a winery called Storm Wines-South Africa, specializing in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. But after Ernst completed his studies, he interned in California’s Sierra Foothills. Then he settled in Santa Barbara County, which he believes has a lot in common with his homeland in the Western Cape. 

Sanford & Benedict defines “A+ vineyard.” It is to the Santa Rita Hills what Eyrie is to the Willamette Valley, what Rochioli is to the Russian River Valley. It’s the very first vineyard in the AVA, planted by Michael Benedict and Richard Sanford in 1971. Sanford Winery still farms 51 acres of these original, own-rooted plantings, and the old-vine power and concentration of this site is on full display in this wine.