Shayla B.
Yelp
I am blown away by my entire experience at Riverbench! They seriously swooned this Bay Area gal with both their delicious wines and outstanding hospitality. I mean, WOW! If there was ever a time to really showcase what the Santa Barbara wine region is all about, THIS was that time. They just completely sold me and I'm all here for it!
Riverbench was the last of three tasting rooms that I visited while in Santa Barbara. Thank GAWD that I saved the best for last because I feel like I honestly would have been so disappointed in the end had I not done so. I visited in mid-April, so their indoor tasting room was closed at the time. They have a super comfy and casual patio area in a large shared space amongst a few other tasting rooms and restaurants in the Funk Zone. I didn't have a reservation, but I called from another winery to see if they had space, and they told me to come over.
Riverbench is best known for their sparkling, Pinot noir, and Chardonnay; and rightfully so. EVERY wine that I tasted here was amazing. Every. Single. One. It's $25 for a taste of 5 of their wines which can only be waived with the purchase of 6+ bottles. I'll admit, that's pretty steep. BUT... the wine is just so wonderful here that you are guaranteed to be walking away with at least one if not a few bottles.
Ended up doing a tasting and the lovely sommeliers seriously hooked me UP. They were literally pouring me all of their goodies! I really felt spoiled. Shoutout to the wonderful crew at Riverbench! Eliza, Mario, Alessandro, and Jordy were ALL incredible! The service was definitely the most impressionable piece of my experience here.
But back to the wine; you cannot lose with any of their Pinots or Chardonnay's. I'd like to think that I'm a hard sell when it comes to wine nowadays. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a wino 'til the day I die. And being in the Bay spoils me because I'm between some of the best wine regions in the worldy world to be quite frank. Riverbench'a Pinot Noirs could easily rival that of both the Anderson Valley and the St. Lucia Highlands. Hell, their Chards could compete with several top Napa and Sonoma Valley Chards. The wine is just THAT good.
Sooo, can you guess what I left home with? Yep: Both their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Correction: I actually drank an entire bottle of Chardonnay at the Santa Barbara Shellfish Co after I left the tasting room. It never even made it back home. I had to drink it that night. And damn was it good!
I'm rambling at this point, but basically... you need to stop here for a tasting to reward yourself with this incredible wine. Make a reservation if you can or call to see if they have any open spots before you get there. And enjoy that scrumptious wine!