Sta. Rita Hills

California · United States · Wine Auction Prices

Sta. Rita Hills is California's finest cool-climate Pinot Noir appellation, an east-west oriented valley 30 miles from Santa Barbara that channels Pacific Ocean winds directly through a canyon mouth and across its vineyards. This extreme marine influence — temperatures routinely drop below 50°F at night even in peak summer — produces Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of extraordinary natural acidity, structure, and aging potential. With 2,600+ lots at auction, the market is led by Sine Qua Non (whose estate is here), Sea Smoke, Brewer-Clifton, and Sanford & Benedict (the historic vineyard that launched the appellation). Sine Qua Non's Pinot Noirs and Syrahs from the estate regularly trade at $400–1,500 per bottle. The Bentrock and Clos Pepe vineyards represent the pinnacle of site-specific Pinot within the AVA.

Sta. Rita Hills

Sanford & Benedict Vineyard, planted in 1971 by Richard Sanford, was the first commercial Pinot Noir vineyard in Santa Barbara County and pioneered the cool-climate California Pinot style that Sta. Rita Hills now represents globally.

Sta. Rita Hills cannot be named 'Santa Rita Hills' due to trademark conflicts with Chilean producer Santa Rita; the AVA uses the Spanish abbreviation 'Sta.' — the only federally recognized American wine region with an officially abbreviated name.

The Sta. Rita Hills AVA is oriented east-west — unique among California AVAs — creating a natural wind corridor where Pacific Ocean air flows unobstructed, dropping afternoon temperatures 20–30°F below Santa Ynez Valley to the east.

Sea Smoke Cellars' Botella and Ten Pinot Noirs, from their 90-acre estate near Lompoc, achieve natural acidity levels (0.7–0.8 g/100mL) more typical of Burgundy than California — enabling 10–20 year aging without acidification.

$197

Avg Price / Bottle

2,632

Auction Lots

2009

Top Vintage

$1 – $4.3k

Price Range

In the Glass

Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir leads California in elegance and natural acidity: strawberry, red cherry, and cranberry, with a perfumed, violet-rose note and a savory, umami-laden finish from the diurnal temperature swing. Chardonnay is leaner and more mineral than Russian River, with preserved lemon, chalk, and a sea-spray salinity. Both varieties are built for the cellar, developing mushroom, truffle, and spice over a decade of aging.

Red White

Red Wines

Wine	Avg Price	Lots Sold
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Southing	$83	511
Sea Smoke Pinot Noir Ten	$109	326
Sine Qua Non Eleven Confessions Vineyard Syrah	$578	178
Sine Qua Non Patine Grenache	$313	157
Sine Qua Non Subir	$365	112
Lincourt Pinot Noir	$81	103
Sine Qua Non E Grenache	$391	63
Melville Donna's Syrah	$56	38
Sine Qua Non M Syrah	$648	37
Siduri Pinot Noir Clos Pepe	$45	30
Sine Qua Non This Is Not An Exit & No Es Una Salida Assortment Case	$469	29
Brewer-Clifton Mount Carmel Pinot Noir	$113	25
Brewer-Clifton Clos Pepe Pinot Noir	$55	23
Sine Qua Non Eleven Confessions Assortment Case	$865	21
Clos Pepe Estate Pinot Noir	$36	19
Ken Brown Radian Vineyard Pinot Noir	$60	18
The Ojai Vineyard Fe Ciega Vineyard Pinot Noir	$36	17

White Wines

Wine	Avg Price	Lots Sold
Sea Smoke Chardonnay	$66	41
Brewer-Clifton Sea Smoke Chardonnay	$72	27
Sea Smoke Gratis Chardonnay	$49	18

Top Producers

Sea Smoke Sine Qua Non Brewer-Clifton Melville Lincourt Siduri Clos Pepe Estate The Ojai Vineyard

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