Happy birthday to Richard Sanford, pioneering Sta. Rita Hills AVA vintner, who was the first to plant Pinot Noir in the Central Coast back in 1971. He helped Santa Barbara County become a blockbuster wine growing region. The vineyard he started with this first winery partner still bears his name - Sanford-Benedict.
His wife Thekla Sanford grew up on an organic dairy in the Midwest and thought the couple should grow grapes organically. They became the first to be certified organic in the area in 1983. They also helped to create the appellation. At one point the Sanfords had more than 400 acres of organic vines in the AVA.
Richard Sanford turned 80 yesterday.
The first Pinot Noir was planted in 1964, Nielson is the site of Santa Barbara’s first commercial vineyard, and has been Byron’s estate vineyard for over 30 years. The historic, cool-climate, benchland vineyard serves as a model for Santa Barbara’s viticultural experimentation and sustainable farming methods
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