Santa Maria Roots at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery

Spotlight on Santa Barbara County Bubbles in Edible Santa Barbara – read the whole article.

Deep in the Santa Maria Valley (the oldest American Viticultural Area in Santa Barbara County), a vineyard was established in 1973 on the Santa Maria Bench, growing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the cool climate of coastal winds from the Pacific. It wasn’t until 2005, when the Hamils, the Hermrecks, and the Wills—three long-time Santa Maria families—bought the property, that they started producing their own wines as Riverbench.

As winery production grew, they knew they had something special. Dedicated to sustainable winegrowing, they aimed to craft excellent wine, protect the environment, conserve natural resources, ensure the long-term health of the vineyard, and support the well-being of their team. They already had a successful history growing two of the traditional Champagne grapes, so they began educating themselves in French sparkling wine traditions along with sustainability practices.
Winemaker Clarissa Nagy came on board in 2012, bringing her love of Santa Maria Valley (SMV) terroir, years of experience in the area, and elegant winemaking approach. It was here that she fell in love with the land and the acidity of Pinot Noir (as well as a fellow winemaker at Byron who would become her husband).

Clarissa worked with many clones of Pinot Noir in her time there, coming to love their silky tannins in SMV, and she was excited to see this play into sparkling wine. As she worked with Riverbench’s mentor (a fifth-generation winemaker from Champagne), she decided that her first vintage, 2014, would be made all on her own, bottled under her own label. “I wanted to be sure I wouldn’t blow it!” she says. “And it turned out great.”

Since then, production has grown into a lineup including Blanc de Blancs, Blanc de Noirs, Brut Rosé, Extra Brut, Demi-Sec, and the signature Cork Jumper Cuvée—a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. In 2017, Riverbench made history as the first in the county to release a sparkling Pinot Meunier as a stand-alone bottling.

“We bring in the Pinot Meunier first, shortly after is Wente Chardonnay,” Clarissa explains. “This year, everything is about two weeks ahead of last year, and the Pinot Noir is a little ways out still.” She is hands-on in the vineyard and in the winery, as she plans and oversees the tasks for harvest and fermentation.

“For sparkling wine, everything you know from still winemaking, you throw out,” she says. “Thankfully, I am used to acid. Because of being in an ancient riverbed, we have very well drained soils and fantastic acidity. The vines hold acidity, which works very well for sparkling. The lab numbers come out exactly like in Champagne.”

With sparkling wine, whatever is in the base wine is going to get accentuated through the process. So, Clarissa tries to be very light-handed in the cellar, looking for ways to support and enhance the grapes. “The wine is delicate. You have to talk to it sweetly and give the yeast a little pep talk,” she says. It’s much like parenting or being a good friend. “I tell the grapes, ‘You can do it!’”

In 2015, Riverbench added the third grape variety famous in Champagne, Pinot Meunier, to the vineyard. “This is because the families are so amazing to work with,” Clarissa mentions. “They let me plant an acre.” Clarissa had attended La Fête du Champagne and realized that most of her favorite Cuvées included Pinot Meunier. “I love that they are open to new ideas and trust me to try new things. I’m very thankful.”

Riverbench was the first to plant Pinot Meunier in Santa Barbara County, and it was a hit. They also make a Carbonic Pinot Meunier. The Sparkling Wine Flights began featuring the first Santa Barbara sparkling Pinot Meunier in 2019.

Clarissa’s goal is always to enhance and show what she tastes in the vineyard. She encourages the grapes and wines to be their best with a delicate touch, and then brings that experience to people in the glass. Clarissa always barrel ferments in neutral barrels to add a creamy elegance and nuance to the wine, and lays the bottles on the lees to about a year and a half – their sweet spot for all sparklers.

Another ritual for Clarissa is to toast each new vintage with a bottle of Grower-Producer Champagne for the first grapes. She selects one with ties to folks she has met in Champagne, pops it open in the vineyard, says thank you, and toasts the grapes. “Time to celebrate the new vintage!” And Clarissa’s favorite? “I prefer the Blanc de Blancs; it’s great for food pairing,” she notes. “I love to cook and pair food with wine – oysters and triple cream brie are some of my favorites.”

The family owners have evolved, as the Goodwins took over from the Hermrecks. And Riverbench continues to push the quality forward with estate-grown, méthode champenoise sparklers and regenerative farming practices. The holidays are particularly festive, as celebrations include their pretty glittering bottles (great for gifts). Watch for glitter bottle classes this fall in Santa Maria’s Foxen Canyon and Santa Barbara’s Funk Zone this season.

In Santa Barbara County, the only place to taste a flight of sparkling wine every day is Riverbench Winery‘s tasting room in downtown Santa Barbara, or at the winery in Santa Maria Valley on Foxen Canyon Road. They make 8 different sparklers in the traditional Champagne method!

Méthode Champenoise is how sparkling wine is made in the Champagne region of France, also called méthode traditionnelle or classique. This is the highest-quality and most labor-intensive way to make sparkling wine. It involves bottling the still wine with additions of sugar and yeast after a first fermentation, ensuring a second fermentation happens in the bottle, trapping the bubbles inside. It then goes through aging (and periodic turning of the bottles to force the lees to the neck of the bottle), until it’s ready for dégorgement (to get these lees out) and dosage (to finish the wine).

Riverbench winery is located right near the Sisquoc River in Santa Maria valley, a spot known as the Santa Maria Bench. This is where the first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes were planted in the area in 1973. For years, many renowned wineries in Santa Barbara County purchased the fruit from these vineyards, and in 2006, the winery began creating their own estate wines.

They began an additional focus on sparkling wine in 2008, and release their first (and the county’s first sustainable) bubbly with the 2008 Cork Jumper Blanc de Blancs. Then in 2015, they planted Champagne’s third great grape variety: Pinot Meunier. This grape is traditionally used as a blending grape, but Riverbench became the first and only winery offering sparkling Pinot Meunier in 2019.

Read about their 8 sparkling wines in their own words:

• 2018 Riverbench Extra Brut Sparkling Wine – With a hint of sweetness, this wine remains fresh, vibrant, and fun to drink.
• 2018 Riverbench Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine – Soft and lush, yet bright and fresh, this traditionally made sparkler is a beauty.
• 2017 Riverbench Blanc de Noirs Sparkling Wine – Deep, complex, and suitable for special occasions.
• 2018 Riverbench Brut Rosé Sparkling Wine – Fun, fresh, and fruity define this pretty blush sparkling wine made entirely of Pinot Noir.
• 2018 Riverbench Cork Jumper Cuvée Sparkling Wine – A unique and delicious blend of the three main grapes used in Champagne, France: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier.
• 2017 Riverbench Pinot Meunier Sparkling Wine – Santa Barbara County’s only sparkling Pinot Meunier exhibits a stunning palate of berry, caraway, and a touch of yeast.
• 2014 Riverbench Reserve Blanc de Blancs Sparkling Wine – An extended tirage and extra time in barrel make this the most oxidized sparkling in our lineup, with hints of toasted hazelnut and marzipan.
• 2017 Riverbench Demi Sec Sparkling Wine – This sparkling wine is anything but sweet, and boasts integrated flavors of baked apple and vanilla ice cream.

From their Santa Maria-focused Chardonnay and Pinot Noir program to their certified sustainable farming practices, the quality here is really high. Perfect for Burgundy (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) lovers.

See more! There are over 75 sparkling wine producers in Santa Barbara County.