Sparkling Wine on the San Luis Obispo Coast

The San Luis Obispo Coast Wine region (SLO Coast Wine) is one of California’s coolest wine growing regions. Their 30 wineries are an average of only 5 miles from the ocean! Coastal fog, wind, soil, and sun create wines refined by the Pacific’s influence. This makes for energetically acidic and complex wines, with a large number of Pinot Noir producers, plus the Spanish white grape Albariño.

They also have 10 Sparkling Wine producers on the SLO Coast Sparkling Wine Trail! Check them out below.

Baileyana, Tangent & True Myth

Niven Family Wines has a sparkler out for wine club only: Baileyana Blanc de Blancs – a traditional méthode champenoise.

Biddle Ranch Vineyard

Biddle Ranch also has traditional-style non-vintage sparkling wine, made entirely from Chardonnay grown in Edna Valley, year-round. This wine could easily be called a Blanc de Blancs: the classic Champagne style made only from white wine grapes in the Champagne region of France. This wine should satisfy any Champagne lover with its yeasty notes, flavors of tart green apple, fine bubbles, and crisp, elegant finish. It’s clean, with just a hint of almond, and absolutely delicious. Read more at my blog post about Biddle Ranch Sparkling Wine.

Claiborne & Churchill

This wine is not currently available – stay tuned for updates. (Join our mailing list here.)

Claiborne & Churchill has experimented with different grapes and different styles of sparklers, and their latest release is a traditional Champagne-style bubbly celebrating the winery’s 35th anniversary, the 35th Sparkling Brut Cuvée.

From the winery: “Enjoy this delicious and celebratory Sparkling Brut Cuvée. This cuvée represents a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Edna Valley made in the traditional Méthode Champenoise method.”

Center of Effort

Center of Effort has just released a Sparkling Rosé from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir called EFFORTVESENCE – the first Méthode Traditionelle sparkling wine from Center of Effort. This exceptional wine, over two years in the making, perfectly highlights our estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes and continues our commitment to quality wines and sustainable farming here in the Edna Valley.

From the winery: “Pale pink in color with small persistent bubbles, EFFORTvesence is clean and modern in style, showing freshness and energy. Green apple, pomegranate and floral notes finishing lively and fresh on the palate.”

Cutruzzola Vineyards

Cutruzzola makes several sparkling wines—in such small-batch quantities that they don’t have them year-round. The Sparkling Pét-Nat Riesling will be available for wine club only. They are also currently working on a classic Blanc de Noir, which will be released in a few years.

Laetitia Vineyards & Winery

Originally known for Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines, Laetitia continues to produce seven unique Sparkling Wines. The vineyard site was specifically chosen by the French 30+ years ago to grow Chardonnay grapes that remained acidic, delicate and fresh with green apple and citrus characters – everything you want for making sparkling wine. And that philosophy continues today with these current releases:

• Non-Vintage Laetitia Brut Cuvée
• 2017 Laetitia Brut Rosé
• 2017 Laetitia Brut Coquard
• 2017 Laetitia Brut de Noirs

Laetitia Vineyards & Winery is the only winery in the SLO Coast Wine Region that always offers a bubbly flight, as well as a Sparkling Only Wine Club.

Niner Wine Estates

Niner’s new 2016 Cuvée Brut Nature is a blend of 76% Pinot Noir, 24% Chardonnay, made in the traditional style. It’s super dry and crisp, and perfect for any occasion. It should be in stock year-round at the winery in Paso Robles.

From Niner: “With the foggy mornings and coastal influence at our Jespersen Ranch vineyard, both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay develop exceptionally beautiful flavor profiles perfect for making complex sparkling wine. In 2016, we picked a combination of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for this Cuvée. It was tirage-aged for two years before being disgorged and bottled on May 21st, 2019. “Brut Nature” refers to the fact that we added zero sugar with the dosage – we believe that keeping the expression pure was the best was to create a lively and complex iteration of our coastal vineyard site.”

Saucelito Canyon

Saucelito Canyon has released a Sparkling Blanc de Blancs from Chardonnay, only for club members.

Sinor-Lavallee

Sinor-Lavallee‘s original Ancestral Pét-Nat Sparkling Pinot Noir is available now, just in time for the holidays. Mike Sinor has been making sparkling wine in the Pét-nat method since 2016, when he released his first Ancestrale, named after this age-old method of making bubblies. Each year, you can find something different and fun as Mike experiments with all natural frizzante bubbles.

This year’s sparkler is 2020 Soirée Du Gris, made from Pinot Gris in the spirit of vinho verde. This means it was picked early (when the grapes are almost still green) and delivers crispness to the palate, with flavors of green apple, pear and jasmine.

Wolff Vineyards

The newest addition to the SLO Coast Wine Sparkling Trail is this 2018 cuvee, produced in the traditional Methode Champenoise sparkling wine. Wolff Vineyards pressed Chardonnay grapes with early ripeness from their estate vineyard’s 45 year-old vines. This is rare in California! This blanc de blanc follows a Champagne production process which includes primary fermentation from 100% Estate Chardonnay fruit, inoculated with a secondary fermentation lees aged in the bottle, riddling, disgorgement of the yeast plug, dosage and final corking after two years. The end result provides crisp fruity flavors with a creamy palate and youthful elegance. The alcohol content is 12.5%.