Riverbench Vineyard & Winery

The most idyllic wine tasting spot! We drove past so many wineries and this one was out of this world - the service and just everything. Super happy about this extraordinary experience! The wines were super tasty as well - highly recommend going there!

Love their Pinot Noir. Great places to stop and have a glass of wine. Lovely outdoor seating. Everyone is so nice.

My wife and I recently spent 5 days in the Santa Maria area, for a dog show. We spent time at four wineries. Riverbench was the nicest place, by far. This is the most relaxing winery we have ever visited. The landscaping was beautifully done, which added to the ambiance of the sitting area. Service was great. Dogs are welcome. Recommend.

Lovely setting, and the Pinot Noir was amazing! We had a large party, and sat inside because of the weather, but they set us up for a tasting in the dining room. It was really comfortable, seating 8! I had the Pinot flight, and I can’t recommend it enough.

Nice quaint winery along our route to slo. Pretty grounds easy drinking wines and casual vibe. Loved the music as well. Happy to have found a little hidden gem off the foxen canyon road. Joined the membership as we couldn’t decide which one we liked best. Great for Pinot noir and Chardonnay if you are in the hunt. Highly recommend , Al lso have a place to stay on site so planning for that for our next trip.

I love this place! The staff is very friendly and accommodating, really nice shade, good tables, cute patio and very clean facility. Had a really nice time just sitting and reading my book!

My Husband and I usually visit 2-3 times a year. This is our favorite winery on the Foxen Canyon Wine Trail. The atmosphere is wonderful and the setting is peaceful.The staff is terrific: friendly, knowledgeable and also efficient. We have never felt rushed. I like that there is a choice of tastings. The picnic basket offered is well worth the price. Looking forward to our next visit later this month.

The Estate Chardonnay was fantastic here and the atmosphere is really relaxing.

Camer here after getting a recommendation. Very happy to have come here. Grounds were simple yet relaxing and nice. Pinots were awesome. Some of the best I've tried in the area. Service was perfect. We'll paced even though we were in a little bit if a rush. I definitely will go back and consider a membership since we now will be living in the area. Check this place out.

We had such a great visit--relaxing under the trees with live music was absolutely perfect afternoon. The wines were delicious--and it was exciting to try them in this locale. We had already purchased some lovely cheese from local Albertine nuns, and it was perfect to speak with staff about pairings with local knowledge!

Great wine and a beautiful garden to taste in. I purchased 3 of their glitter bottles for recent special occasions. They were a hit.

We had a nice experience here. I think they're having trouble with their online reservations. We had a very knowledgeable staff help us. She explained the wines and the vineyard's offerings. There seems to be a time limit posted. We asked about it. They were not too worried about it because there was hardly anyone there. We ordered the picnic for 4. It is a good deal; however, we had to unwrap it all probably due to the COVID blues. This place would do so much better with some live music, food cooked on premise (or even a food truck), and eliminating the weird time limit.

The Mrs. and I visited Riverbench Vineyard & Winery yesterday as the first of two stops on out Santa Barbara wine country adventure. Tasting at Riverbench is by appointment only. Our reservation was 10:30 which was the prefect time because it wasn't hot yet. When you book a reservation, you also prepay for your tasting. You can choose between three different tastings. A sparkling, mixed, and Pinot Noir flight. Brad poured for us yesterday and he was so nice and just let us take our time. The Mrs. ordered the mixed flight and I had the Pinot Noir flight. Brad didn't just pour us what was on the list, but he poured us some wines that weren't on the list. We aren't Chardonnay drinkers, but the Bedrock Chardonnay was good. It wasn't a giant oak bomb like most Chardonnays are. We were fortunate to try three different vintages of the Bedrock. The oldest being from 2010. I ordered the Pinot Noir Flight and again, Brad poured us some older vintages that weren't on the tasting menu. Most notable for me was the Pommard. The most recent vintage being the 2017, but I also was able to try a 2013 vintage from what I recall. Overall, we spent an hour and tried at least 15 wines between what was on the tasting menu and the off menu stuff that was poured. When I booked our reservation and paid the $25 tasting fee, it was noted that we had an hour for our tasting experience. However; the hostess, nor Brad mentioned the 1 hour time limit. In fact, Brad seemed to encourage us to stay longer. It was hard to leave considering the hospitality and the view we had. The only reason we had to leave was because we had to head to Fess Parker for another tasting. I've read some of the more negative reviews about Riverbench from some of my fellow Yelpers. I'm not dismissing their experiences but you have to wonder...was it actually the staff at Riverbench or......was it the customer. I've been wine tasting in Temecula, Napa, Paso Robles, Sonoma, the Russian River Valley and so on and all I can say is, by the late afternoon, especially with the 20 and 30 something crowds, they can get a little belligerent at that point because they've hit 5 wineries, haven't eaten, and have drank everything put in front of them. I have witnessed this event on several occasions and will tell you that it can change the atmosphere in a tasting room on a dime. Kids, take some advice from a 40 something. Taste at 3 wineries maximum per day. By the time you reach the third, your taste buds are shot anyway. Eat a good breakfast before you start and have a decent lunch. In my view, wine tasting, or wine drinking in general, is psychological. The taste of a particular wine is enhanced by your mood at the time. So try to keep it happy.

Central coast boutique gem! I can't say enough about the wine and hospitality. Worth a stop if you're in the area.

My husband and I, along with two of our oldest friends, went to Riverbench on June 8 for a tasting. Everything about our experience was outstanding--from being greeted by name on arrival, to the beautiful setting, the knowledgeable and enchanting sommelier, and the delightful wines we sampled. I specifically had chosen Riverbench to be able to do a sparkling tasting and it did not disappoint. The reds were also amazing. Thank you, Riverbench! Would highly recommend this for anyone looking for a smaller vineyard and a personal touch.

Absolutely beautiful grounds and stellar wines with amazing host like Brad, this was the perfect wine tasting. If you love sparkling, Chardonnay and Pinot noir, this is the place to be. Some of the best Chardonnays I had like chapel view and reserve and top notch pinot noir like clone 115 and one palm. Brad is so knowledgeable and explained all the wines he poured for us. He even let us taste some of the library wines that went all the way to 2006! Such a great experience, so glad to be members here.

Tranquil spot to enjoy some wine. We visited Riverbench on a Monday morning and it was predictably empty. Riverbench feels like an oasis in the middle of the desert with a lush manicured lawn and beautiful flowering plants all around. Adding to the ambiance were birds chirping the entire time and soft, acoustic guitar music playing at a comfortable volume. I chose the Pinot Noir tasting and there was a wide selection Pinot Noir variants to enjoy. Overall, I had a lovely experience at Riverbench and would highly recommend them.

Who doesn't enjoy a spot to just getaway from your normal day to day grind. Let me tell you about this gorgeous gem I found on our wandering travel to Paso Robles. We wanted to try a winery we haven't had the honor of trying. What a gem! We were delightfully greeted with assistance with our selfie with the beautifully maintained and lovingly designed gardens. Anne shared the story of this fun spot and shared the region's specialty of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Huge PR fans we gave the PR flight a try. Already making plans to come back with a couple of friends for the Chardonnay flight. Come and enjoy a wonderful chat and great wine @Riverbench.

The Central Coast has some excellent wineries, and in my book Riverbench ranks near the very top of the list!  All of their wines are good, but their Pinot Noirs are exceptional - about as good as you'll find in California (IMHO).  I've always made a point of visiting here when I've been in the area, and my most recent visit was a total pleasure! A bit of background first:  Riverbench is a Boutique winery dedicated to crafting a small portfolio of still and sparkling wines from a single, sustainably farmed vineyard on the bank of the Sisquoc River, known as the Santa Maria Bench.  They produce less than 10,000 cases a year, and you won't run across their wines at big distributors like K&L or Total Wine; the prices you'll see at the winery are pretty much what you'll get their wine for most places.  Tip: If you find yourself hooked on their amazing Pinots (as I have) you can make good use of the locator function on their website.  Visit the following link, enter the target zip code and the radius of the search you want to make, and they'll give you a list of stores and restaurants where you can buy Riverbench wine. https://riverbench.com/our-wine/locator/ Tasting at the winery is by appointment only; various tasting arrangements can be booked and prepaid on their website.  This time out we went with the "Outdoor Wine Tasting"; for a fee of $25 per person, you can enjoy a one-hour tasting experience at a private table on the Riverbench Patio.  You get to choose a tasting flight from their daily list of estate grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and sparkling wines, then finish with a self-guided vineyard walking through the vineyard. Our most recent visit was on a lovely weekend afternoon.  Our sommelier was not only extremely knowledgeable and personable, but she had a very sure hand and made some very generous pours.  We ended up trying a couple of their library wines (over and above the wines in the flights we chose) and were VERY impressed!  I won't bore you with the full 411 on each of the wines we tasted that day, but I will wax on about the one I ended up taking home - the Riverbench 2018 Estate Pinot Noir.   It opens with very fragrant red plum spice bouquet; on the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced, smooth, silky.  The finish does not disappoint; it has some wonderfully subtle notes of red berries and just a hint of cloves and smoke.  Given the quality and enjoyability of this wine, I found the $32 per bottle price to be surprisingly reasonable. There's no question in my mind that Riverbench is one of the best tasting rooms on the Central Coast; I highly recommend that any fans of exceptional wine (especially Pinot Noir) make a point of coming here for a tasting :-)

We were finishing a tasting at another winery and looked like we might be running a bit late. Out of courtesy we called, or at least tried to call. Since no one answered the phone we rushed our awesome tasting at Presqu'ile to head over to Riverbench. We arrived on time, only to be told THEY were running late, and we were going to have to wait 15 minutes. If they only answered their phone we couldn't have enjoyed our last tasting and not have rushed over. We then were asked, where we like to sit (a party of 4), and was offered either a table with chairs or a picnic table. We chose the table and chairs, and his response was "Well we didn't wipe down that table yet so is the picnic table cool?" Then why did you ask or better yet, just wipe down the table. We then sat at the picnic table, were given the wine list, and then instructed to pick any 5 wines ...except their flagship Pinot Noir or their flagship Sparkling. Fine I get it, not a problem, they probably don't produce a lot and allocate most to their members, but if you aren't going to pour it maybe don't put it on you list. I kind of felt like, here is our best stuff, just not for you. We also mentioned this was a special trip up her for my wife's birthday. Moving on to the tasting, we stared out with the Sparkling Rose. It was not bad, done in a Province style. That said, you can buy Sparkling Rose from Provance France just as good for 1/2 of the $48 they are charging. On to the Pinot. It was straight up warm. The bottle had been out it the heat all day and not chilled. Most wineries at least have a cooler to prevent this. That said the 115 clone was not bad everything thing you want for a Pinot from that area. On to the Mt. Edna. He comes back with "Who's the lucky one?" Confused we said "I guess the birthday girl". He then says "here you go, our last pour." We had a 3:00pm appointment and two other parties were seated after us. HAVE THEY RUN OUT OF WINE? Ok, it's later in the day but I have never had a winery not open a new bottle to pour for a tasting we pre-paid for by the way! He then comes back with with One palm Pinot which was not one of our picks and frankly did not care for. Onto our next choice, the Prommard. He comes back again with "One pour left" for the Pommard Pinot. WTF, have they never heard of a Coavin? Then he then instead, pours the Estate Pinot which was not great either. We finished that, then he comes over and says "I'll do an extra pour for you" and pours the reserve, which I feel was average at best and not worth $44. Math I guess is not their forte either, because if you were following, along it was our 5th pour. We are not your average wine tourist, nor are wine snobs. We work normal jobs but are big buyers of wine and members of several wine clubs. We never have such a poor tasting experience and will never return. Sorry, I can not recommend Riverbench.

This was a cute winery back behind all the hills, farmland, and vineyards of Santa Maria. We came here for our friends birthday and had about 9 people. We were making a couple pit stops at different wineries so we unfortunately did not make a reservation, which would have been preferred. However, there was still plenty of room for us at some tables that were put in the yard. Looks like for parties that have more people and would like a little more room, it would be a good idea to call ahead of time so you can book the patio! The ladies helping us were all very sweet and recommended getting a couple bottles instead of a tasting flight due to having over 6 people in our group. Then you wouldn't have to keep getting in and out of your seat and go back inside for the next tasting in the flight. We had a rose, a Chardonnay, and a Pinot noir to split between us all. There are also super cute wine bottles that are covered in glitter. We bought one of these for our friend for her birthday! We also took lots of pictures out in the vineyards. All of the grapes are covered up in wire so that birds and people aren't able to mess with their crops. Keeping it all nice and safe. But it was beautiful to take pictures in!

Yelp and others turned me on to Riverbench Vineyard & Winery, and I could not be happier. This gem of a winery is located on the Santa Maria side of the Foxen Canyon Road wine trail with great views of the hills and valley. Parking is easy, but watch out for the bees. Riverbench has a great selection of Pinot and other central coast styles. Their tasting room is built into a cute old house with a beautiful interior and a very homey, yet upscale environment. Their Pinots were amazing and worth a stop for anyone looking for a great option. The staff was friendly and helpful, even when discussing the "big football game" happening that afternoon. It was a bit cold and gray on my visit, but the beauty still shone through. On a sunny day, this place would be spectacular. They have a great combination of good wine, great location, and awesome staff.

Had a lovely experience at Riverbench. The Pinots weren't my fav but I'm not really a fan of Pinot. The grounds, tasting room and staff however were all very nice. We were at Cambria and were given a 2for1 for Riverbench and decided we'd give it a go since it's one of the few wineries we haven't been on the trail. We enjoyed our tastings in the tasting room at first, then moved out to the lawn to picnic since the sun was out. They also have a bocce court and horse shoes. If you like Pinot or Bubbles (I did see a tasting menu of pure bubbly) this may be a nice spot for you to visit.

We discovered this winery on our recent wine tour trip last September. It was our last stop and was the best of all! We sat at a small table for four on their beautiful front lawn. There's a lot of history to the main house that our wonderful server shared with us. I can't remember the details because I tasted too much good wine. I love, love, love their 2018 Pinot Noir. To me it smells peppery and on my first sip I taste spicy yet smooth back pepper. I just ordered two more bottle today since they went on sale. Their wines are not cheap, but we'll worth the discounted price of $44 per bottle.

Thank you for helping us girls celebrate our friend's 70th birthday! We had a wonderful time in your beautiful garden setting.

If I could build a home it would look just like Riverbech! The details in this farm home turned winery is simply amazing. The molding and woodwork took my breath away. If you're into older homes and can appreciate architecture then you'll love it. The wines, being the primary reason for us visiting, were fabulous. None of them were bad. I loved their Bubbly flight - a nice break from all the pinots and chards! Our service was very friendly and attentive. I can see why so many people enjoyed it here. Outside there were many people relaxing under the trees in the grass while a musician played acoustic guitar. In all, a splendid place to spend an afternoon!

We had a great visit to Riverbench Vineyard & Winery today. We were hosted by Grant who was attentive, helpful, easy to talk to and a great ambassador for the winery. Please don't assume that because you are visiting a rural, off the beaten path setting of that your servers like Grant do not know their wines. In his case, he has poured in downtown Sonoma and was soon to be visiting Healdsburg and Sebastopol to enjoy some natural wines. Back to Riverbench and why you should go: the setting and ambiance were stunning and the wines were worth experiencing. We sat in Adirondack chairs under a sailcloth on the lawn listening to birds chirping, a slight breeze on an exceptionally stunning spring day. My companion had the Pinot Noir tasting while I had the sparkling wine tasting. We also ordered the small picnic basket that including jam, corniches, cheese, prosciutto and crackers. The wines were tasty and represented the local terroir well. The tasting room is in the "bench" area where the river used to flow (now located about 300 yards from the winery). This area has an alluvial soil which produces earthier, more rounded wines. It gets hot there so the fruit has time to develop, but with a cooling breeze from the river, the wines were balanced. As a serial Pinot Noir fan and second only to that a champagne and sparkling wine aficionado. This was a great stop as we make our way south on the 101. Highly recommend.

This winery is a little off the beaten path but so well worth it. They also have a tasting room in the Funk Zone in Downtown Santa Barbara with very friendly and knowledgeable staff. The winery is in a beautiful setting and the wines are exquisite, absolutely worth finding this gem and tasting their great wines.

Horrible service! I don't care how you're wine tastes. The first tasting we decided to be club members and they left us stranded at the table waiting to process the membership and after 20 minutes, said they forgot about us. Then just went for my next tasting and stood at the hostess booth for 15 minutes with no one acknowledging me. When they finally came and and I told them my concern, she told me she hopes I find better service elsewhere. I told her to cancel my membership because their customer services is disgusting and her reply was thank you for telling us the truth. This speaks volumes. They do not care about anything but your money. Do not become a member here!

Loved this winery. They were very friendly, wine was good, the winery was pretty and they really wanted us to enjoy their wines and share it. I will be back the next time in Santa Maria.

Five of us (two members), had the best Friday we've had in a long time! We came in for our Member Pickup and wine tasting. Riverbench wines are consistently of the very highest quality, but our very knowledgeable server Brad, as always, made a beautiful day a MEMORABLE experience. An added bit of fun at Riverbench's beautiful outdoor tasting area, was KEYT News Channel 3 was there as well. Our little group if five were interviewed about the beautiful weather and how coming to Riverbench made our day. NOTE: Watched the Channel 3 News tonight and we five along with Daenae (Riverbench's Operations Manager, showed up on the 5pm and 6pm News program.

The Service: Very nice winery and tasting room. It is consider spacious tasting room. Nice retail section for variety of items. Beautiful outdoor seating area. Picnic tables and benches. Will be nice place to enjoy the wine and snacks. Also, the vineyard is right outside the tasting room. The view is nice. Very popular winery. If you are doing a wine tasting trip, this winery is definitely should be on your list. The Parking: private lot

We had a simply magical time at Riverbench last Sunday (10/27/19). Laura, the General Manager, offered us this special opportunity for a VIP tasting and tour with Jules, and it could not have been more satisfying. Jules, a knowledgeable and personable fellow, walked us through the different vines, explaining the impacts of soil and mere location on the property. I knew I was a Pinot Noir "lovah" and now I can recite why! The winery specializes in Chardonnay and Pinot Noir because of the terroir in the Santa Ynez Valley and each we sampled was distinctly different because of their techniques, but each equally delightful. They also have a tasting room in Santa Barbara, which offers the same lovely samplings, but if you have the opportunity, do yourself a huge favor and visit the Foxen Canyon location. Take a bottle and sit outside the huge welcoming trees and fuhgeddabou life for a bit. We did.

Nice view and pretty garden. They take the mask rules seriously so that's good. Support this lovely winery.

(Tasted 12/20/16 TU @ 1:00pm): I saw no river nor bench...but we went through mountains and woods! For her birthday, a wine-drinking friend and I made our way out to Riverbench Vineyards & Winery as we tried to maximize a "2016 Santa Barbara Wine Passport" I purchased earlier in the year, which gave access to over twenty vineyards with various promotional deals. This particular winery wasn't part of the passport but had a Yelp Check-In offer ($10.00 off two tastings). As I've always said, "Discounts on any kind of alcohol was always a plus in my book"! Was our 2nd stop worth it!?: The Riverbench Tour - 5 Tastings ($15.00) - Selections were two Chardonnays and three Pinot Noirs https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=tKSqlz2We777nD-YD5kDrA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. And unlike many tastings I've partaken in, theirs was less conducive for note-taking (i.e. no available taster notecards or writing instruments). Honestly, wineries do consumers a huge disservice when this easy amenity wasn't provided. Having said that, here were my cloudy tasting recollections. Again, by no means am I an oenophile - just a simple lush who enjoyed wine: ~2015 Rose Of Pinot Noir: Yes, I'm a rose kind of guy! ~2015 Bedrock Chardonnay: A mixture of fruity and peaty. ~2013 Chapel View Chardonnay: Simple with a buttery palate and citrus notes https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=-kiqPlVb4ZCLa8G7x58MDQ&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. ~2014 Estate Pinot Noir: Bold and smoky. ~2013 One Palm Pinot Noir: Too earthy for me https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=NXg1OyEzh1J097TuwCuE8g&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. Bubbles Bubbles Bubbles Flight - 4 Tastings ($20.00) - Selections were various sparkling wines https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=VJz78asYtp0vZfBVkVLhnA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. And unlike many tastings I've partaken in, theirs was less conducive for note-taking (i.e. no available taster notecards or writing instruments). Honestly, wineries do consumers a huge disservice when this easy amenity wasn't provided. Having said that, here was my cloudy recollection of my tastings. Again, by no means am I an oenophile - just a simple lush who enjoyed wine: ~2013 "Cork Jumper" Blanc de Blancs ($40.00): Lovely effervescence, I bought this as a present for my friend https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=aoZ5tX8sT4TAJ1pNWJ9oVA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw! ~2014 "Cork Jumper" Brut Rose: You brute; just too dry for me. ~2012 "Cork Jumper" Blanc de Noirs: I could get behind this Noir! ~2014 "Cork Jumper" Demi-Sec: A flavorful sweet sip I'd drink on its own. Service - We were the lone customers at this time, so we had the undivided attention of the lovely lady who helped with our tastings. She was warm, informative about the wines, the region and the house, offered small pours, and recommended other wineries in the area. She treated us very well. Parking (FREE) - They had their own medium-sized private lot - 'nuff said https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=1oj0rrCbByeDDRuRGOpykw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. Atmosphere, décor, ambience - A factual signage about the winery first caught your attention as you approached https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=VlQF2ll_K50XfVnI54lsZw&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw, before you proceeded to the pathway https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=PtMzGFaP6pLOLogSxGIarg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw that led to a restored vintage home. Decorated for the holiday season, you walked into a quaint layout with a short tasting bar almost directly in front of you. The rest of the area was filled with table displays for purchase and a few places to sit back and enjoy a bottle https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=rk5snzZWvNMh8jbkOP07Fg&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw. Plenty of natural lighting came through the many glass doors and windows that surrounded the building while electric recessed ceiling lighting filled in the rest. There were no TVs but Country music played in the background. https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?select=VZMEmjjqj4cE9fyxp3WxbA&userid=8jVT2inwc8GIQ6sH2UG9Vw Attire - Business casual out of respect for the art of wine tasting, so I would normally be in a buttoned-up shirt, pants, and covered-toe shoes. Overall, my afternoon at Riverbench Vineyard & Winery was a calming one. Although I was happy to visit a winery I'd never been to, the majority of their wines simply weren't my cup of tea. I enjoyed the Chardonnays and sparkling wines but not the Pinot Noir. Please take my criticism with a grain of salt since wine tasting was completely subjective from one person's palate to the next. The service was outstanding, and bottle prices were a tad high. Wine glasses weren't given with each tasting. I found very good value based on the prices, service, and experience noted above (TOTAL paid experience was around $68.00 AFTER discount; no tip required). And, they accepted my credit card of choice...AMEX! 4.0 STARS

Service not that good, no one EVER ANSWERS THE PHONE. I don't know why my husband doesn't cancel his membership, their wines are ok nothing special. They constantly have new employees that are clueless, yes they have a nice place but that cancels out for the service for me.

We had a pleasant experience here. The service was excellent and they have a beautiful patio. Wines were decent. Very nice place to visit.

River bench was one of our favorite experiences out of the 7 wineries we visited in the area (Santa Maria to Paso Robles). Our tasting was extremely enjoyable with great wines, and a view we really enjoyed. It's definitely one of the smaller wineries but that's part of what we enjoyed about it! The service was great, Steven brought us our tasting and gave great descriptions for each wine that just overall made the experience for us. We highly recommend coming here!

Very pretty winery with outdoor seating. Server was very friendly and knowledgeable. $25 a person for one glass of sparkling wine was a little steep but I understand smaller wineries are probably suffering a bit more due to covid. The wine was great however and we enjoyed our visit.

Great high end Pinots, wonderful views of the valley and kind, caring and thoughtful customer care. Brad was marvelous as host and guide. We couldn't ask for more. DON'T MISS THIS WINERY!

1/25/2020 - Gary & Jan Lamb - Fresno Was great getting back to Riverbench. Robin was so accommodating and welcoming us with hugs and well wishes. Jan and I and our friends, the Wilson's had a great time tasting and then settling on our favorite glass of wine while enjoying sitting outside in a beautiful surrounding. Robin and the staff are wonderful hosts and ensure our experience is all we would want it to be. Glad we are members and sad we can not get to Riverbench more often living in Fresno. Appreciate the events that are offered which gives Jan and I an opportunity for a great weekend get-away!! Job well done!!

On the advice of a friend, my husband and I took a drive to Santa Maria and stopped at Riverbench. I loved the garden area and farmhouse that served as its tasting room. I did the sparkling tasting menu and he focused on the Pinot. The sparkling wines were the best I'd tried on the Central Coast yet, and the Pinot was outstanding - pleasantly dry and not anything like the fruity, warmer weather grown Pinot we've had in other places. Lori, our hostess, was wonderful, patiently taking us through the wines and allowing us to make up our own minds rather than tell us what flavors we would taste. It was a fantastic experience. We purchased a couple of bottles along with some cheese and crackers, then sat out in their garden and enjoyed the afternoon. So beautiful!

River Bench is by far the cutest winery and vineyard that we visited during our wine trip.The tasting room is inside of an adorable convert cottage home, and the property is a very lovely setting - a perfect place for pictures. You open the front door right into the quaint tasting room. As odd as it may sound, I loved the tasting glass here...but apparently everyone else does as well because on the chalkboard tasing fee display it says in bold letters "you don't not get to keep the glass." Damn it! I loved the elegant shape of the pinot glasses. This is not a detail I usually remember, so they must have really stood out! River Bench is a smaller winery that focuses on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sometimes sticking to the basics and specializing in something pays off...it sure did at River Bench because every wine was wonderful. I loved all of their interpretations of chardonnay and pinot, and the pourer working while we were there was incredibly informative about each wine; she was also extremely personable. I do have to say though, out of all of the great tasting wines, the rose of the pinot was my favorite. Visited this winery right before Thanksgiving, and this wine was just begging to be paired with turky. We took a few bottles of rose to go. A friendly and beautiful atmosphere, combined with high quality wines makes River Bench a must while wine tasting! Especially good for pinot or chard lovers.

Between the 3 chardonnays and the 3 pinot noir tasting, I'd have to go with their pinots. They're pretty good. We sampled some chocolates with our wine but at $5 for 2 chocolates, I'd have to say that was way too much (they were delicious, though) and a little odd, considering that some people paid, others didn't, and one of the tasting room attendants was plowing through them like they were going out of style. The tasting room itself is small but we were able to find a little corner and a couple of nice gals who poured our wine. Overall, the room itself is a little plain. Not sure if I'd be back considering you can buy their pinots for a little less at our local wine store.

What a delightful little place! It's in a cute house and the bathroom was all white and the size of a living room. We got here on a Friday afternoon and the wine server was so friendly to everyone. She made conversation and made us feel really welcomed. We tried about 6 wine for $10 per tasting. The area outside is pretty too and we took some photos around the vineyard. Great place to stop after a long drive from LA.

I enjoyed the tasting here and the wine. We ended up buying a few bottles (not the norm for me) and got the most adorable wine stopper (a unicorn). The hostess was very polite and friendly and knew her stuff. I'd swing by again if in the area.

For whatever reason, Riverbench was VERY crowded when we were there, and there wine room was not large enough to accommodate everyone there. I did feel a little crowded and rushed, but I guess it should be a positive sign how many people were there. I'll say this: it was worth a visit, but I'm not sure that it's worth a re-visit. I found some of their wines to be pretty good and some to not be good at all. I was telling my bf that I didn't like one of the reds and the lady working there overhead me and made some snarky remark about how I must only like sweet wines (I had said I like Rieslings). I guess it was my bad for insulting their wine, but I wasn't talking to her! It was also a bit annoying how hard they were pushing their last couple cases of Riesling. They were making everyone taste it, even those that didn't really want to, and selling it on the fact that there wasn't much of it left and get it now! I'm not a big fan of sales pitches at wineries (be it for a club or a particular varietal).

Spent a relaxing afternoon outdoors on the beautiful lawn. Tasted Pinots and sparkling wines served by Alessandra who was awesome, friendly and passionate about her job and her love of the wines. We will definitely return!

The third stop on our 3 for the price of 2 tasting. The tasting room looks like a house sitting a relatively flat plot of land. Inside the tasting room has a farmhouse semi-contemporary feel. We were the only people tasting around noon on a Friday. Our pourer was a friendly and knowledgeable young lady. We tasted 5 or 6 wines, a combination of whites and reds. Everything we tasted was good but nothing really stood out. At least not enough to make we want to buy. Sine this was our third winery of the day and I knew we had a few more stops ahead of us, I didn't want to buy something unless I was really impressed. I have added this place to our list of places to revisit.

Meh! Mediocre wine, location is far, vineyard was dry. There are better places for wine tasting

Such an amazing experience! I'm from out of town and came here for the first time & love the hospitality and kindness of the staff. Not to mention the amazing Pinot Noirs!

This is my new favorite. We found this epic wine after doing a tasting at the Hadsten House in Solvang (which they offered the Chardonnay) and it is now our #1 stop on our wine runs to Los Olivos/Santa Maria. The Reserves are incredible and by far this is my favorite wine for the second year running.

$10 wine tasting for like seven wines! Great deal and they comp the tasting if you buy three bottles. Known for Pinot noir and Chardonnay. I left with a nice bottle of Pinot Noir! Friendly and helpful staff. Quaint and cozy place to just relax with a bottle of wine and enjoy the scenery. FYI- if you have At&T cellular service, expect to have no service here. I tried to check in for a deal they had for wine tasting but I couldn't get any service here to get it!

Update: Aug 17, 2012 We were back in the area, and decided to stop in on an old favorite - Riverbench. The wines were great as usual, but we got to experience more on this stop. Santa Maria Humane Society was having a charity event of "Paws, Pizza and Wine" (or something like that). We had seen the pizza ovens there - but finally got to try them. Great stuff. Too, the puppies were great. But back to the wines. The wines are really great, and we picked out a great Rose to take home.

We had a lovely tasting experience with Brad during our trip to Riverbench on a Friday afternoon. We came for the Chardonnays and we fell in love with the sparkling selection as well! Brad went above and beyond with our tasting experience. A lovely spot with fantastic wines, we look forward to stopping here again soon!

I really liked Riverbench. Beautiful property with expansive vineyards overlooking the Santa Maria Valley. Nice tasting room in the old refurbished house. Friendly and knowledgeable pourer. They were pouring both an unoaked and a fully oaked Chardonnay, I really liked them both and enjoyed the differences between them. The higher end Bedrock Chardonnay was partially oaked with partial maloactic fermentation, a nice blend of the two styles and a great wine. The Pinot Noir was excellent and I can only imagine how good the Mesa Pinot is... they were excited about an upcoming 94 rating on it. All in all, a very nice tasting room experience. They probably deserve 4.5 stars. Recommended.

Beautiful view and excellent sparkling wine! I love this winery! (And I visit a LOT of wineries). Riverbench offers a nice, cozy tasting room and a great picnic area. I've always found the staff to be some of the nicest in the industry. And beyond that, their wines are excellent! The sparklings rank near the top of what I've tasted in California. While Chardonnay is generally not my favorite, theirs is very tasty, and the Pinot Noirs are delicious. For those who haven't heard of Riverbench, be aware that the do Chardonnay and Pinot Noir almost exclusively. For some that would be a problem, but I feel that the focus they give on these wines is a bonus. They do have a Riesling, a Rose of Pinot and, of course, bubbles! Don't let the lack of selection deter you! I take all my friends here and no one has been disappointed!