While strolling along Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone, a multi block enclave of art, music, and tasting rooms in the heart of town, I came upon the streamlined tasting outpost of Riverbench, a winery with vineyards in the Foxen Canyon area of the Santa Maria Valley. Fresh from learning about the terroir and wines from Santa Barbara County at the Wine Blogger’s Conference in Buellton I was enticed by the offer from the gregarious tasting room host to taste sparkling wines which were mentioned only occasionally during the conference. What I found that afternoon were three sparkling wines which were incredibly fresh and brilliantly crafted. Crafted in the Méthode Champenoise, several sips of their Cork Jumper line of Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, and Demi-Sec prompt me to share that each could hold its own against any sparkling wine using that same technique.
When you think about Santa Barbara County wines, the still wines of Pinot Noir (thank you, Sideways, the movie) and Chardonnay, grapes found in Champagne, may come to mind. But sparkling wines? Not so much. My experience at Riverbench changed my perspective. The 2011 Cork Jumper Blanc de Blancs is of 100% estate grown Chardonnay and its juicy apple notes led to a toasty finish which brought my palate back to my travels to France. After I had a few sips of the 2010 Cork Jumper Blanc de Noirs with its subtle strawberry and raspberry flavors, acidity, and juicy tangerine finish, I felt cool, calm, and collected. The Pinot Noir lover in me was dancing as much as the bubbles in the glass. The icing on the cake was a glass of the 2011 Cork Jumper Demi Sec, a light, bubbly, wine which knew how to flirt. Slightly sweet with floral aromas and tastes of ripe citrus, this new friend will be a lovely partner to a dessert or a cheese plate.
Laura explained to me that since Riverbench is a relatively small business, she does a little bit of everything. Managing the tasting rooms and national sales, overseeing the marketing and social media, and travel for the company are a few of her administrative duties. She also works in the vineyard with Clarissa. Both design the wine portfolio and taste through each vintage from picking to bottling. Since 2012, Clarissa has been the Winemaker at Riverbench. Having been a part of the wine industry since 1995, she is known for her “elegant and sophisticated winemaking style and for her appreciation for fruit that comes from the Santa Maria Valley.” Clarissa was mentored by Alison Green Doran and Rick Longoria (who were both trained by Andre Tchelichef), John Kerr and Ken Brown, all industry leaders. Riverbench is indeed fortunate to have Clarissa on their team.
Following is my Q&A with Laura and Clarissa who so graciously shared their time and expertise.
How and why did you decide to produce sparkling wine?
Laura: I am a huge fan of sparkling wine, particularly Champagne. In my research of climate and soil, I found that while the Santa Maria Valley has very different soils, the climate is actually ideal for growing sparkling wine grapes because of the acidity. The longer cooler growing season allows for more developed flavors in the grapes earlier than other regions, so we get remarkable flavors in our bubblies. We decided to give a Chardonnay based sparkling a try in 2008, and since we loved that one so much we have since added three more bottling to the lineup.
Clarissa: Laura was the driving force behind it in 2008. Both of us love champagne and sparkling. I was so happy to come on board and work on the project and expand the program.
Are you one of the few wineries in the Santa Barbara AVA producing these sparklers?
Laura: Yes, and as far as I know we are the only producer making the amount of premium sparkling wine that we make. We also made the first certified sustainable sparkling wine in Santa Barbara County.
Clarissa: We are one of a few. We begin in 2008.
What makes this area so great for producing grapes used in your sparkling wine?
Laura: The weather, which is even and cooler, allows for slow ripening, so the acids and flavors are more pronounced.
Clarissa: Our vineyards are over 40 years old, planted in an ancient riverbed. There are a number of fossilized rock and sandstone. The acidity of the grapes at harvest is very similar that of the acidity of grapes in Champagne.
What is your process of making the wine? Do you produce the wine on the estate?
Laura: We pick usually in August or September around 18 Brix. We barrel ferment the still base and then send this wine up to Lake County, where our sparkling winemaker Gerald Ployez, a sixth generation Champagne maker, finishes the wine for us. We only use our grapes, but due to the lack of specialized equipment we don’t make the wine 100% on site.
Clarissa: The sparkling grapes are harvested when the Brix is 18 degrees and the acid is 9 grams per liter. We whole cluster press with champagne cycle. The must is chilled and settled overnight. We rack to neutral white barrels. The sparkling base is barrel fermented. After primary fermentation, it is racked off the lees to tank. From there, the tirage is added in tank and bottled. It stays on tirage about 15 months. The wine is riddled, then dosage added and the wines are labeled. The sparkling base is produced on the estate.
Are any of the grapes sourced or are all of the grapes in the sparkling estate grown?
Laura and Clarissa: Everything is from our Riverbench Vineyard, 100% Estate grown.
How is your sparkling different from the others in the area?
Laura: We use only French oak barrels for barrel fermentation, and follow full Methode Champenoise for our bubblies. This is a minimum three year process from start to finish.
Clarissa: The fruit is only about 80-90% through veraison at the time it is ready for harvest. Our acids are such that the grapes can go through primary fermentation without having to go through secondary fermentation. We barrel ferment in neutral oak.
Clarissa, what do you bring to the table as to your experience and creativity in winemaking?
Clarissa: I really enjoy making Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. I think Delestage (rack and return) is such a great technique for reds. Santa Maria Valley’s silky tannins are accentuated. Improving quality from vintage to vintage keeps me learning and growing. I was blessed to work at Byron with the clonal trial blocks. I learned a lot about Pinot Noir clones and their characteristics. It has been exciting to work with the old Martini vines planted in 1973, the One Palm Block Clone 667 planted in 1999, and the newer vines with various clones planted in 2007. I am looking forward to working with the Mount Eden clone we planted this Spring.
Tell me about the drought this year…how will it affect your production? What are you planning to do?
Clarissa: Our sparkling vines are over 40 years old. They tend to be more resilient and less affected by fluctuations in temperature and water. The issue we do need to be concerned about is salt build up near the micro-emitters. We look to the rain water to flush the salts. It won’t be an issue this year, but can be if we continue in a drought for many more consecutive vintages.
What is the future for sparkling wine production in Santa Barbara AVA?
Laura: I’m not sure. I like to think we’ve started a trend, but sparkling wine is very cost prohibitive to make, so I don’t see a ton of people jumping in on a larger scale to make it. We at Riverbench hope to make sparkling wine more mainstream – drink it on a Tuesday night for no reason, not just when you’re celebrating something ( although that’s perfectly ok, too)!
Clarissa: There are definitely more producers joining in on sparkling production. I think the future holds some wines to be taken seriously from our region.
Do you engage in sustainable/biodynamic winemaking?
Laura: We are certified sustainable in the vineyard but we don’t use biodynamic procedures.
Clarissa: We are Sustainable in Practice certified. We care about our workers, the vineyard and land. As good stewards of the land, we leave a legacy for the next generation to continue.
What is your favorite wine region (other than Santa Maria Valley!)?
Laura: For me, Champagne, but since that seems so obvious, I’ll say the Loire Valley as a close second!
Clarissa: For Old World, I’d have to say Burgundy. New World would be Central Otago.
Do either of you have any favorite recipes to pair with your sparklers? I love the recipe tab on the Riverbench website.
Laura: My favorite pairing in the world with sparkling wine is fried chicken. Magical….
Clarissa: I do love food and wine pairing. Often, I pair sparkling with cheese and nut platters. I also like to pair it with fondue seasoned with a bit of garlic clove in the pot with a sprinkle of clove and cardamom.
Could you tell me something unique about Riverbench or the sparkling wines…something others may not already know?
Laura: Our sparkling wine program was completely started and developed by women, which is kind of cool considering that women in Champagne played such a huge role in its growth.
Clarissa: Our sugar and acid levels of the sparkling must are very similar to that of Champagne. I was very surprised by that, as Santa Maria Valley tends to have higher acids in general, even in still wine.
Clarissa, what is your philosophy and or mission in winemaking?
Clarissa: My goal is to make a wine that exhibits the flavors and aromas I taste on the vine and in the fermenters. The essence and experience of Santa Maria Valley is what I want to bring to the table.
Clarissa is clearly achieving her mission. If you are in the Santa Maria Valley or the Funk Zone in Santa Barbara, stop by the Riverbench winery or tasting room for a glass or two of bubbly. You, too, will be thrilled to find a winery producing such incredible sparklers exhibiting the “essence of the Santa Maria Valley”!
Cheers~ Cindy
