The Rancho La Viña Vertical Tasting
Two winemakers. One vineyard. Six vintages that trace almost a decade of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir.
Some vineyards carry a fingerprint so distinct that no matter who is in the cellar, it comes through in the glass. Rancho La Viña is one of those places. Set along Santa Rosa Road in the far southwestern corner of the Sta. Rita Hills, it's one of the most maritime-influenced sites in the appellation. Clay-loam and sandy soils cooled daily by fog and onshore wind off the Pacific. The result is Pinot Noir that runs darker and richer than its neighbors, built to age.
This tasting walks through that identity across time, and across hands. We're offering two distinct verticals from the same estate vineyard, Rancho La Viña, in a side-by-side format, so you can taste how a vintage shapes a wine, and how a winemaker's touch does too.
Flight One: 2016–2018 — The Foundational Years
Winemaker Nick De Luca · longer élevage, more new oak, structure-forward
2016 — A drought year with a late-harvest heat spike; 18 days of skin contact, 15 months in barrel. Ripe black cherry, raspberry, rhubarb, fig, earthen spice, toasty finish.
2017 — Born from a soaking wet winter and a dramatic monsoonal rain event mid-harvest. Cherry pie, brown baking spice, blood orange, light elegant tannins.
2018 — One of the finest Sta. Rita Hills vintages in recent memory. Black currant, plum, cracked black pepper, firm tannins, real length.
Flight Two: 2021–2023 — The Samra Morris Era
Winemaker Samra Morris · gentler handling, more whole-cluster and open-top fermentation, shorter élevage, high touch farming
2021 — A near-perfect vintage of small berries and mild weather. Dark cherry, orange peel, sage, a plush and harmonious palate.
2022 — A classic vintage echoing 1971, the year the Sanford’s first planted Pinot Noir here. Ripe cherry, brambly fruit, savory herbal and mushroom notes.
2023 — Shaped by record rainfall and an extended cool season — Morris's most aromatic Rancho La Viña yet. Eucalyptus, lavender, vanilla, clove, black and red berries, bay leaf, garrigue.
Samra Morris was named in 2025 as one of five finalists for Wine Enthusiast's Winemaker of the Year. This tasting is a rare chance to see exactly what she's changed, and what she's preserved, in a vineyard whose character has stayed constant across two very different hands in the cellar.
Taste six years of Rancho La Viña, side by side.