Gary Farrell Pinot Noir Sanford & Benedict Santa Rita Hills 2021

Add 4 bottles to the cart and receive an additional 51% off!

Gary Farrell has more than four decades of exquisite Pinot Noir and Chardonnay prowess to its name and stands as one of the pioneering icons of the Russian River Valley. Today, though, we have a single-vineyard Pinot Noir from a different – yet just as exciting – location, and one of California’s most historic vineyards. With 95 points, this Santa Rita Hills thriller normally retails for $75, but now, you can snap some up for UNDER $30 when you order 4 or more bottles! A slight chill is starting to creep into the air, and just like that, I know my wine of choice all autumn long!

If you love Sonoma Pinot, you know and love Gary Farrell. The man behind the brand released his first wine under his eponymous label in 1982, making him one of the first producers to showcase the excellence of the Russian River Valley region for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Although the brand has changed ownership a handful of times since then, the concentration on small-batch, single-vineyard, elegant wines has remained strong. Nowadays, the winery is in the skilled hands of The Vincraft Group, led by three accomplished industry veterans. Brent McKoy is the current head winemaker since 2023, though he’s been an invaluable part of the cellar team since 2005.

The fruit for this wine hails entirely from Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, located in the Santa Rita Hills AVA in Central California and named one of the five most important and iconic vineyards in California by Wine Enthusiast. It was first planted in 1971, making it the first vineyard to grow Pinot Noir vines in Santa Barbara County. Uniquely, the original plantings were planted on their own root stock (vitis vinifera) and have thrived for more than 50 years. The vineyard is rich with well-drained, calcium-dense clay loam soils, scattered with fractured shale and chert.

One reviewer on CellarTracker remarked, “While stylistically it’s Gary Farrell it’s very much of the Sta. Rita Hills. A distinctive wine,” and we couldn’t agree more. It has more intensity than an Oregon Pinot, but it’s not as flagrantly fruity as the RRV offerings. It’s got grit and grip, with a plush core of cherries and plums wrapped in black peppercorns, and dried strawberries, and blood orange peel with a medley of baking spices. We wish we had much, much more, because under $30 for 4+ bottles is a trip... and just know we will quickly be loading up our own carts right alongside you before this beauty is all gone!

PAIRING IDEAS: I love this with the explosive and tangy flavors of chicken shawarma – the charred, well-seasoned grilled chicken, the ample fresh vegetables, the creamy garlic sauce… it’s all the more divine alongside this vibrant Pinot Noir.