2022 Odd Couple Sta. Rita Hills California Pinot Noir

Two Hands The Odd Couple Pinot Noir from Sanford & Benedict Vineyard is a rare and compelling expression of Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir from California’s Central Coast. This historic vineyard site is one of the most respected sources of Pinot Noir in the United States, and in the hands of David Lloyd and Michael Twelftree, it becomes something unmistakably personal.

The Odd Couple are David Lloyd and Michael Twelftree: David, the science boffin, tennis tragic, Tesla driver and vintaged winemaker; Michael, the brand builder, Toyota driver, amateur cray fisherman and thoroughbred lover. Both are passionate dog lovers and have been the dearest of friends for more than 30 years.

Sourced from a gentle north-facing slope planted in 2011 to A-S1 clone, the vineyard sits on calcium-rich clay loam soils with fractured shale and chert. Guyot trellising and a vine density of 3,700 vines per hectare help produce a Pinot Noir of fragrance, structure and detail. Picked on 11 September 2022, this wine offers red fruits, spice, savoury complexity and refined cool-climate elegance.