Lo-Fi Wines 'Sparkling Honeybear Orchard' Chenin Blanc, Los Olivos District, Santa Barbara County, California 2021
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Lo-Fi Wines was founded in 2014 by lifelong friends Mike Roth and Craig Winchester. Roth — a New Jersey native who came up through Grgich Hills and Saddleback before finding his direction at biodynamic properties Demetria and Martian Ranch in Los Olivos — launched the label on leftover fruit from a single Martian harvest. The name captures the winemaking ethos perfectly: indigenous yeast, neutral vessels, little to no sulfur, no additions or manipulation of any kind — analog winemaking for a digital era. Roth also serves as winemaker for Coquelicot Estate, whose organically farmed vineyards overlap with the Lo-Fi source portfolio. The Honeybear Orchard Sparkling is Lo-Fi's most technically ambitious wine — a Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling Chenin Blanc from a densely planted Los Olivos vineyard whose budwood traces directly to the 40-year-old Jurassic Park block.
- WINEMAKER: Mike Roth, with Craig Winchester
- FARMING: Sustainably farmed. Honeybear Vineyard, Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County. Planted 2015, field-grafted 2016. 2,904 vines per acre. Budwood from the Jurassic Park Vineyard Chenin Blanc block (planted 1982).
- VARIETY: 100% Chenin Blanc
- TERROIR: Honeybear Vineyard sits on a flat shelf overlooking the Los Olivos District in the Santa Ynez Valley. Fine sandy loam with clay subsoil — a soil profile that suits dense planting and promotes even ripening. The Los Olivos District's warm days and cooling Pacific breezes create ideal conditions for Chenin Blanc of both ripe fruit character and natural acidity. The vineyard's budwood connection to the historic Jurassic Park block gives the vines a direct genetic link to one of California's most celebrated Chenin Blanc plantings.
- VINIFICATION: Hand harvested. Whole cluster pressed. Primary fermentation in stainless steel barrels. Secondary fermentation in bottle — Méthode Traditionnelle. No commercial yeast, no added nutrients, enzymes, or tannins.
- AGING: Extended lees aging in bottle before disgorgement. Minimal SO₂.
- TASTING NOTES: Bright and energetic with fine, persistent mousse. Green apple, lemon zest, flint, and white flowers on the nose. The palate is crisp and precise with citrus pith, almond, and a mineral undercurrent through the long, refreshing finish.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters, ceviche, tempura, fresh goat cheese, aperitif.
Lo-Fi Wines 'Sparkling Honeybear Orchard' Chenin Blanc, Los Olivos District, Santa Barbara County, California 2021
Lo-Fi Wines was founded in 2014 by lifelong friends Mike Roth and Craig Winchester. Roth — a New Jersey native who came up through Grgich Hills and Saddleback before finding his direction at biodynamic properties Demetria and Martian Ranch in Los Olivos — launched the label on leftover fruit from a single Martian harvest. The name captures the winemaking ethos perfectly: indigenous yeast, neutral vessels, little to no sulfur, no additions or manipulation of any kind — analog winemaking for a digital era. Roth also serves as winemaker for Coquelicot Estate, whose organically farmed vineyards overlap with the Lo-Fi source portfolio. The Honeybear Orchard Sparkling is Lo-Fi's most technically ambitious wine — a Méthode Traditionnelle sparkling Chenin Blanc from a densely planted Los Olivos vineyard whose budwood traces directly to the 40-year-old Jurassic Park block.
- WINEMAKER: Mike Roth, with Craig Winchester
- FARMING: Sustainably farmed. Honeybear Vineyard, Los Olivos, Santa Barbara County. Planted 2015, field-grafted 2016. 2,904 vines per acre. Budwood from the Jurassic Park Vineyard Chenin Blanc block (planted 1982).
- VARIETY: 100% Chenin Blanc
- TERROIR: Honeybear Vineyard sits on a flat shelf overlooking the Los Olivos District in the Santa Ynez Valley. Fine sandy loam with clay subsoil — a soil profile that suits dense planting and promotes even ripening. The Los Olivos District's warm days and cooling Pacific breezes create ideal conditions for Chenin Blanc of both ripe fruit character and natural acidity. The vineyard's budwood connection to the historic Jurassic Park block gives the vines a direct genetic link to one of California's most celebrated Chenin Blanc plantings.
- VINIFICATION: Hand harvested. Whole cluster pressed. Primary fermentation in stainless steel barrels. Secondary fermentation in bottle — Méthode Traditionnelle. No commercial yeast, no added nutrients, enzymes, or tannins.
- AGING: Extended lees aging in bottle before disgorgement. Minimal SO₂.
- TASTING NOTES: Bright and energetic with fine, persistent mousse. Green apple, lemon zest, flint, and white flowers on the nose. The palate is crisp and precise with citrus pith, almond, and a mineral undercurrent through the long, refreshing finish.
- FOOD PAIRINGS: Oysters, ceviche, tempura, fresh goat cheese, aperitif.