sanford winery & vineyards

We returned to Sanford recently, on another tour of the wineries in the area, just to re-evaluate our previous impressions. The wines are average and, to my taste, the pinot noirs are somewhat harsher than my favorites from the Willamette Valley. We were the only two in the tasting room on a very pleasant December day, but the staff appeared bored.

Somewhat disappointed with the tasting-room (only) experience here. Tastings were the most expensive we've ever see -$20 each - and the pours were minuscule. The employees, however, were delightful, as were the premises. This winery is definitely targeting the wealthy, wine-loving clientele segment.

Excellent pinot noirs here, a great setting and not too far from anywhere. Highly recommend visiting their tasting room and trying them out. Granted, I am not a wine critic but I did enjoy the wines and the whole setting.

Maria! Thank You, Maria! My husband and I believe everything happens for a reason. We are incredibly grateful that our very first stop of our 2-day trip happened to be at Sanford Winery. The wines were spectacular! The location is breathtaking! And, the owners are brilliant because they hired Maria! Anytime we are new to an area, we love to ask the locals where we should go ... What do THEY love to do in their town? Well, Maria shared some spectacular ideas, but not before asking some great questions to get to know us better. We are so grateful. The next days were totally based on Maria's suggestions ... And we had one of the best get-aways we have ever had. Don't miss Sanford Winery! And be sure to pick Maria's brain for great wine, great food and a spectacular vacation!

What a beautiful winery! We were lucky when we went as we were the only ones there so we had one on one service from the staff. Super friendly and very informative. The wine selections were outstanding, especially the pinots. I highly recommend exploring the grounds and relaxing on their gorgeous patio...the view is breathtaking!

You must bring a packed lunch and eat it outside after your tasting. The views are breathtaking ! The wine great tasting. I had the pleasure of having Lesley as my pourer and my tour guide. Forget SLO for wine tasting and going here if in Santa Barbara

As a member of the wine club I may be biased, but Sanford does it right. From amazing pinots and chardonnay to the spanish hacienda architecture, it is a great experience. All the staff is knowledgable, witty and willing to teach you a thing or two about wine. Wish it was closer to home to visit more often.

Santa Barbara county is a great place for wine tasting. The have great white and yummy Pinots.Sanford is a bit off the beaten path, in other words it does not sit among a large group of wineries, so it is more of a destination in itself, but work it. Typically one thinks of Sanford as doing mass wines - Chardonnay and Pinot that you can find anywhere, but we were treated to some lovely small and specialty wines that we enjoyed so much so that we bought a case and signed up for the wine club. Due try their dessert wine.

This winery is located away from the busier areas, and worth the trip! It has a spacious tasting room, and friendly staff. Lovely surroundings and vineyard.

I had the privilege of taking a tour and wine tasting at Sanford last week with some friends. The tasting room, location, and vineyards are stunning. Maria gave us a tour that was both fun and educational. A great way to spend an afternoon!

Great tasting room with great friendly people. Wonderful experience a don't miss, must do! Beautiful vineyard and area.

Sanford was the best of our stops on our day of wine tasting, so much all three in our party joined their upper echelon wine club! Beautiful location and wines to love!

Took my dad on a little road trip. The vineyard was a bit off the track from the freeway. It was a bit warm when we went. I had my dog with me so we ended up out on the patio. The staff was very friendly. One even came out and asked if my dog wanted fresh water and went in and got some for him. Wish they had some 'misters' out on the patio. Other than that, it was a nice place to stop.

We visit a lot of wineries and belong to a lot of wine clubs. Sanford is easily in our top three...for quality of wine, for its beautiful location, for quality of tasting room experience, and for its excellent wine club prices and events. The staff are friendly, engaging, and knowledgable, and special commendation should go to John Bailey, the tasting room manager, for always trying to make the tasting room experience the best it can be. If you want a quiet, unobtrusive experience, they respect this. If you want to engage and learn about the wine, they are happy to share their knowledge. They are customer friendly and never over-bearing. I think Sanford wines are a great representation of the Sta. Rita Hills. A little history: We've been members since before the split with original owner Richard Sanford (and still support his Alma Rosa winery and have tremendous respect for what he has done for this appellation). In fact, we boycotted Sanford Winery for a while because we were so upset by the split. One day, we begrudgingly visited "enemy territory", assuming that the wine would be terrible and the tasting room experience would feel "corporate". After the first few pours, my husband and I looked at each other, and I said, "Dang. This wine is fantastic!" Still skeptical, we started engaging the pourers; they were so friendly and "non-corporate" and nice that we walked out impressed and new wine club members. Over the years, we have never been disappointed--with the wine or the wine tasting experience. If Winemaker Steve Fennell happens to be there during a wine tasting, he is always willing to stop for a moment to chat with visitors and to answer questions.

Incredible winery with very modern machines used for their winemaking including a $1,000,000 elevator for the fermenting tanks that has to be seen to be believed. Nowhere else in this area has anything like it - if you want a more traditional, down home feel when you're wine tasting check out El Jabali just down the road. It is Richard Sanford's current winery after leaving Sanford.