Saintsbury

Richard Ward and David Graves founded Saintsbury in 1981. The two met during their graduate studies in enology at UC Davis while taking a brewing class together, and there made their first noncommercial wine, a Santa Barbara grown, barrel fermented Riesling. Graves held a biology degree from UC Santa Cruz; Ward had earned a degree in structural engineering from Tufts University before moving to California to study enology. Before starting Saintsbury they worked harvests together at Chappellet Winery and Stag's Leap Wine Cellars. According to Wine Spectator, Ward and Graves tasted the potential of Carneros Pinot Noir from Heiniman Vineyard on the Sonoma side of Carneros, and Graves recalled that they were especially taken with the wines of Domaine Dujac; the pair once referred to their experience as "Beaune in the U.S.A." Their first vintages were a 1981 Chardonnay and twice as much 1981 Pinot Noir, a first release of 2,000 cases made at Pine Ridge Winery. Before building the winery at its current Carneros location, on what was then grazing land, they also produced wine in a small building on Ehlers Lane. The winery is named for George Saintsbury (1845-1933), a professor in England famous for writing his Notes on a Cellar book, and some of his quotes appear on the bottles. Richard Ward died in 2017; in 2019 Saintsbury produced the first vintage of the Richard A. Ward Memorial wine, a Pinot Noir.

• Founded 1981 by Richard Ward and David Graves, who met as UC Davis graduate enology students
• First release of 2,000 cases made at Pine Ridge Winery; wine was also produced on Ehlers Lane before the current winery was built
• Named for George Saintsbury (1845-1933), a professor in England famous for writing his Notes on a Cellar book
• Richard Ward died in 2017; the Richard A. Ward Memorial Pinot Noir was first made in 2019

The vineyard surrounding the winery, about half a mile from the Carneros Highway, is planted to 12 acres, mostly Pinot Noir; Saintsbury uses only some of these grapes and sells the rest. Wine Spectator reported that Saintsbury formed a partnership with key Carneros growers. In 2022 Saintsbury marked its 40th anniversary of working with Lee Vineyard in Carneros, first planted to Pinot Noir in 1967. For about 20 years Saintsbury planted and managed Brown Ranch in Carneros until that vineyard was sold in 2013; its first vineyard-designate Pinot Noir came from Brown Ranch in 1996. Most of its wines come from Carneros, on both the Napa and Sonoma sides, and other parts of Sonoma County including the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast, and it sometimes sources grapes from other northern California locations. Its final vintage from Kent Berry Vineyard in the Santa Cruz Mountains was 2019.

• 12 acres planted around the winery, mostly Pinot Noir, with part of the crop sold
• 40 years with Lee Vineyard in Carneros as of 2022
• Planted and managed Brown Ranch for about 20 years until its 2013 sale; first vineyard-designate Pinot Noir from Brown Ranch in 1996

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay form the bulk of Saintsbury's production, grouped into Appellation wines, which include less common varieties such as Cinsault, Mencía, and St. Laurent, a Vineyard Series Chardonnay, and a Vineyard Series Pinot Noir of vineyard designates. Single-vineyard bottlings include Pinot Noirs from Lee Vineyard, Pratt Vineyard near Sebastopol, and a Stanly Ranch Dijon 115, and a Green Acres Ranch Chardonnay from Wente selection vines dating from 1969. The Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir draws on 5 sub AVAs, 7 vineyards, and 8 clones. Saintsbury was among the first Carneros Pinot Noir producers to make a vin gris by the saignée method, first made in 1989 and fermented entirely in barrel; the Vincent Vin Gris name honors Vincent Van Gogh. Its first pétillant naturel, a Blanc de Blanc from Chardonnay from Lee Vineyard, came in 2020, followed in 2021 by a Chenin Blanc pét-nat from Alder Springs Vineyard in Mendocino County. Wine Spectator reported that the founders introduced Garnet, a lighter-styled, less-expensive Pinot Noir, starting in 1983, and sold it in 2011 to refocus on higher-end wines. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote in 2016 that the wines "can be lush and rich but rarely excessively so," with Pratt Vineyard and Sundawg Ridge Pinot Noirs on the fruitier, toastier side and Lee Vineyard giving a woodsy, cranberry-inflected expression.

• Three groupings: Appellation wines, Vineyard Series Chardonnay, Vineyard Series Pinot Noir
• Appellation range includes Cinsault, Mencía, and St. Laurent alongside Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
• Vincent Vin Gris made by saignée since 1989
• Pét-nat program begun in 2020 with a Chardonnay Blanc de Blanc
• Garnet introduced 1983 and sold 2011

At its height Saintsbury produced over 60,000 cases a year; The Napa Wine Project reported production of around 10,000 cases as of its last update. Roughly half of production goes to distribution, which reaches all 50 states as well as Japan and parts of Europe, and half is sold direct to consumer; a wine on tap program for restaurants and retailers has run since 2009. The winery also leases part of its cellar to several other small wine brands. Winery water is recycled, and insectaries and bird boxes are used to increase diversity among the vines. In 2007 Saintsbury installed almost 7,000 square feet of solar panels that support the majority of its electricity needs, and it was the first Napa winery to sign on with the Porto Protocol, which focuses on raising awareness of climate change and sharing solutions.

• Over 60,000 cases a year at peak; around 10,000 cases at The Napa Wine Project's last update
• Almost 7,000 square feet of solar panels installed in 2007
• First Napa winery to sign on with the Porto Protocol
• Wine on tap program since 2009

Primary sources: the producer's own site (https://www.saintsbury.com/) could not be fetched; it served a bot challenge on every attempt, so no primary pages were used. Secondary sources: The Napa Wine Project (https://www.napawineproject.com/saintsbury-winery/), San Francisco Chronicle (September 13, 2016), Wine Spectator (May 28, 2017). Last verified 2026-09-23