Vintus

Richard Sanford stands as a legend of California winemaking. Educated as a geologist, he traveled throughout California in the late 1960’s in search of the perfect terroir to plant Pinot Noir. He found it on the north-facing slopes along Santa Rosa Road, which would later become the heart of the famous Santa Rita Hills AVA in Santa Barbara. He was the first to plant vineyards there, in 1969, and he spent the next thirty-five years there consistently producing some of this country’s best Pinot Noirs in every subsequent vintage. Against a background of increasing attention on Santa Barbara, the Santa Rita Hills and Pinot Noir, Richard and his wife Thekla have once again developed a new site that promises to produce extraordinary wines truly in tune with the region and its spirit.
 
La Encantada is a 100-acre organically farmed vineyard on north facing slopes in the Santa Rita Hills that, with close proximity to cooling Pacific breezes, provides a perfect climate for balanced and refined Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc. The La Encantada vineyard is planted 94 acres to Pinot Noir, 3 acres to Pinot Gris and 3 acres to Pinot Blanc. Alma Rosa additionally owns and sources grapes from the fifteen-acre El Jabili vineyard to the east that serves as the site of the Sanford home.
 
The winery name associates “Alma,” the Spanish word for soul, with “Rosa,” a reference to the site being part of the original 19th century Santa Rosa land grant. The Alma Rosa project is based on the principle of “nature and agriculture in sustainable harmony.” Richard and Thekla are committed to sustainable farming, their employees and producing wines of extraordinary depth and balance. Careful environmental considerations are applied in the production of their wine, packaging and daily business practices. All of their wine bottles may be returned to the winery for re-use, as indicated by the recycling logo on top of the capsules and on their back labels.