Pinot Gnar with Sea Creatures Wine
This weeks issue features an interview with Sea Creatures Wine, a Grenache Blanc, and an upcoming event just for you.
Our interviews with winemakers took a brief pause while they were all elbow deep in grapes for harvest. But we’re excited to be back with a splash…introducing Jesse Cloutier of Sea Creatures Wine. If you have a brand or winemaker you’d like to see featured in Up in the Valley, send us an email with your suggestions!
Interview with Sea Creatures Wine
For those of us lucky enough to call the central coast home, the ocean holds a special place in our hearts. For Jesse, head winemaker & co-founder of Sea Creatures Wines, it’s no different. With parents that both grew up on islands, he was almost destined to feel connected to the sea. We met with Jesse and his loving GSP companion, Aussie, to discuss his passion for travel, food, and making wine that represents Santa Barbara County. Dive into our conversation and we promise you’ll be wanting to pick up a bottle (or two) by the end of it.
Q: Why don’t you start by introducing yourself and Sea Creatures.
A: I'm Jesse Cloutier, the owner and winemaker of Sea Creatures Wines. My wife, Avery, and I co-own the business and we’re the only two employees. We farm a portion of our fruit ourselves and the rest come from vineyards that we know and trust across Santa Barbara County. We produce all Pinot Noir. We make a white, rosé, and a series of reds every year from that single grape. Up until two years ago, we would make just one wine a year where we'd focus on a single vineyard. Since then we've expanded a bit, but are still extremely small production at around 350 cases and we don’t plan to ever surpass 500 cases. At some point, our goal is to be in control of all the fruit that we use and we're incrementally expanding that each year by trying to rely less on larger growers.
Q: How did you come up with the name Sea Creatures?
A: I originally went to launch Sea Creatures in 2017. I had been in the wine industry for 10 years and my wife and I decided to go to New Zealand for a month. At that point we still didn't like the names that we'd come up with. They just just didn't pluck our heartstrings the way we wanted for something that's going to be a big part of our identity. So we were leaving Wellington, driving north, and we had just spent two weeks on a road trip along the whole coastline of the North Island. The ocean was at the forefront of all that we were doing. There was this moment where all the things that make us happy had come together around the ocean. All of our discussions revolved around the ocean and the name Sea Creatures came out of that experience.
Growing up in Orcutt you're not even 10 miles from the coast. So the ocean is a massive influence on everything that we do here. Agriculturally, it's a nice little Goldilocks zone for growing. So there are those tidbits. I'm an ocean enthusiast, a waterman, and love everything that the ocean has to offer. My Mom grew up on islands in the Indian Ocean and my Dad spent two decades of his life on islands in the Pacific. The ocean wrote our story before I was even a part of it.
Q: Your label design is pretty unique! Could you walk us through what each element represents?
A: A local artist named Clint Darby designed our label. He's a very talented graphic designer, woodworker, and childhood friend. Our label is a full showcase of Santa Barbara County. If you were out on a boat, looking due north, you’d see the Channel Islands…San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and Anacapa. So when you're looking at the label, all four of those Channel Islands are represented and then you see Point Conception as well. Each of the little hills represent local mountains. There’s Fig Mountain. There’s Hollister Ranch and the Gaviota Coast. It's kind of abstract, but to us it looks like home.
The label art also depicts a wave breaking over the whole county to signify the influence that the ocean has on this area. That same feature appears to be a hand picking a single grape with the county inside of the hand. The lines are the fingers of the hand but are also like vineyard rows. They also show the true wind path that comes through the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley. Lastly, the knuckles of the hand in the corner point in a northwest direction, which is the predominant swell direction of surf here. There is a lot of subtle, but meaningful, local identity built into it.
Q: What was the moment you knew you wanted to start your own brand?
A: I knew off the bat, as soon as I locked into the industry, that I wanted to have my own label. I was a junior at UC Santa Barbara and my sister had been begging me to work in wine. She is a soil scientist turned winegrower turned winemaker. Growing up around here, agriculture is the industry at the forefront. It wasn't that I disliked wine or agriculture, but it never really occurred to me to stick around and do it. I was studying Business Economics at Santa Barbara and my sister finally convinced me to just try it out for a summer. I ended up working a full time, unpaid gig for the county and then a job opened up at Foxen. Getting that job completely changed my life, my trajectory, everything.
I transferred to Sonoma State for my senior year and they have a Wine Business program within their school of Business and Economics. I then spent three harvests working in the Russian River Valley, very focused on Pinot.
While focusing on Pinot, I would hear everybody complain that it is the hardest grape to grow. I'd seen it while working in the vineyards. It’s the hardest to vinify because you can't hide any flaws in it. It's one of those things where you can't add a little bit of this and a little bit of that. The wine is delicate by nature. So if something sucks in it, it's going to be right up front. That was challenging to me. That seemed like something to focus on and something to aspire to be good at. I was hooked. I knew I finally had peace in my work life balance. It is grueling work, but I come home tired and happy about what I spent the day doing.
Q: How did your harvest abroad in Australia influence your winemaking style?
A: Going to work in Australia was one of the best decisions I've made, for sure! I love Australia. I love Western Australia. The scale there…it's kind of unbelievable. For how few wineries are out there, the amount of output they have is incredible. We ran the winery I was at with three people and it was a lot of work, kinda mental, but it was doable. The experience made me contemplate where the teetering point is with scale. What was the fulcrum between what you want to do and what is right to do? Where is that tipping point in quality? There was no compromise in quality where I was specifically. I think that had a lot to do with my sister running the lab and being the main point person for cellar operations. I learned a great deal from her about how to be a responsible and ethical caretaker of the vineyards and the cellar. Overall, harvest down there started to solidify my unwillingness to compromise. It made it clear what is important to me. A lot of it came from realizing you don't have to make all the wine in the world to make great wine or even to represent a place.
Q: You have another label called Là-Bas. What’s the difference between Sea Creatures and Là-Bas?
A: Avery has been asking me to make her a Gamay for a few years. I want Pinot Noir to be the only focus under the Sea Creatures label. I didn't want to throw a one off in there. So that was the genesis of Là-Bas! I didn't want to dilute Sea Creatures, but I still miss making different wines now that I'm not making wine for so many people. Là-Bas makes up for that for me. Là-Bas is also capped at 500 cases. So between the two labels, if we were at full steam, we could make 1,000 cases total. Currently, with both labels combined, we make roughly 350 cases total. How much wine does your favorite "small" producer make? Ask them and I think you'd be surprised how big most of them really are.
The name Là-Bas means “over there” in French. It’s a nod to all the things that I've made “over there” and “down there” in Australia…all the styles that have influenced me. I'm trying to make wines that are indicative of this place and where they grow and Là-Bas gives me some creative license to make things other than Pinot Noir. The vineyards that we farm ourselves have some grapes that aren't Pinot Noir, so these grapes will now go into this label. It’s taking the way wines are made “over there” (in France) and putting our own California spin on it.
Q: We noticed lots of food posts and pairing suggestions on your social media and website. How does food play a role in the wine you make?
A: It definitely plays a big role! I come from a family of islanders and islanders cook. If we’re not at the beach, we’re in the kitchen. That's where the family focus is. My wife's family is Italian on both sides. Her Mom's family is Sicilian and her Dad's family is from Puglia. The kitchen is a central piece of what our families do. I definitely think this led me to connect with wine on a deeper level. Don't get me wrong, I like playing in the dirt and making wine is fun, but there has to be another piece that keeps you there. I think that food is definitely this major wholesome tether between myself and wine.
Q: Any particular go-to meals with your Pinot Noirs?
A: Mexican food or Santa Maria style barbecue are favorites. Our Pinot Noir is made for the cuisine here. Seafood also pairs very nicely. That's the beauty of Pinot Noir! It's delicate and it has a whole spectrum. You can make it big and broody or you can make it delicate and light with a lot of finesse. It lends itself well to the classic cuisine of this county.
Q: What are the most difficult and best parts of having your own label?
A: The most difficult thing, for me, is the way wine is perceived. Historically, it's been made as this thing to be adored and not touched by everybody. I couldn't disagree with that more! I think the best wines in the world should be drunk by the people with the grubby fingernails and calloused hands. It should be made accessible to everybody.
Ultimately, we do this because we love this place. It can be tough watching this place become a little bit more corporate. There's beauty from growth, but I think there can be some soul stripped a little bit when there are less authentic, small, and family run entities in the space. With our wines, we make them as authentically and as well made as they can be. We use organic and sustainable vineyards. I farm all my vineyards that way.
The best part is that I get to do what I love, centric to all the things and people I love. I get to work in a place that has a majority of my memories from life and I get to be resistant to the stuff that doesn’t feel authentic to us.
I get to go to sleep fulfilled with what I do and I can't really ask for more. I wake up happy. That's the best part about starting your own business. There's an insurmountable amount of work and with that comes stress, but good stress. Being stressed can be a motivator and some stress is healthy. It's the distress that you get from other people. That's been the best part of doing it on our own. All the stress I create is my own, so it's manageable and it's not unhealthy. We get to make sure we are doing things the way that the people who trained us and the people that inspire us would do it.
Q: Lastly, what’s the best way for people to support you?
A: We've been fortunate enough to be well received in the market, so we do have a little bit of a wholesale presence! All of the places you can find our wine are listed on our website. So if you’re near one of those neighborhood eateries or wine shops, absolutely go eat and drink there and thank them for supporting us.
You can also buy directly from our website. It looks like we will have a facility for both winemaking and tasting by February. We're spending some time setting things up, making it home. So check the website and social media for updates on that and come visit us!
A huge thank you to Jesse for taking the time to sit down and talk with us. You can find all stores that carry Sea Creatures Wine here. If you’d like to stay up to date on the new tasting room opening soon, be sure to give them a follow on Instagram!
Uncorked
Âmevive Grenache Blanc
Alice Anderson, owner and winemaker of Âmevive, focuses on sustainable farming and makes wines inspired by her time in northern Rhône. This Grenache Blanc comes from the Tres Hermanas Vineyard in Foxen Canyon, where milkweed grows abundantly (hence the stunning label art). T We love how zippy and refreshing this wine is!
Nose: floral, touch of cream
Palette: pear, lemon zest, salinity
Pairs well with: fresh herb salad, seafood paella
Available at: Satellite in downtown Santa Barbara
What’s Happening
Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks: “Santa Ynez Valley Restaurant Weeks returns January 21 – February 3, 2024, with a variety of special prix fixe price points that showcase the region’s culinary bounty — and the perfect Santa Ynez Valley wines to pair with it. Participating wineries and tasting rooms will also participate by offering two-for-one tastings and discounts on bottle purchases.”
Pizza and Pie Pop Up at Buddy’s: Buddy’s wine bar in Ventura is hosting a pop up pie event on Saturday, the 27th from 5:30-9 PM. Savory pies by Seb’s Woodfire and sweet pies by Skylar Bryce.
Early Valentine’s Day Pop Up at The Eddy: Join Ashkahn Wines and Pinyon Pizza at The Eddy in downtown Santa Barbara on Thursday, February 1st from 5-8 PM. There will be wine, pizza, love letters, and sweet treats. All ages welcome and no reservation/ticket necessary!
Bingo Night at La Lieff Wines: Win fun prizes and wine at La Lieff Wines in the Funk Zone in downtown Santa Barbara on Thursday, February 1st from 5-6 PM.
Easy Street Wine Collective Open House: “Celebrate the End of Dry January with wine, all you can eat tacos, and maybe a song or two. Multiple wineries and winemakers will be there to open bottles and introduce you to their hard-to-find, limited production wines.” Saturday, February 3rd from 12-3 PM for $79/ticket
Dreamcôte Winter Party: “Join us for our Second Annual Après-Ski Winter Pick Up Party here in our cozy little tasting room, AKA the perfect location to sit back relax in your winter furs and taste through a curated flight. A yummy Winter meal will be made with love and provided to pair along side all our delicious wines.” Saturday, February 3rd from 11:30 AM to 3:00 PM in Los Olivos for $35/ticket
Palm Springs Pinot Noir Fest: Head down to the desert to drink some fantastic Pinots all weekend long! With over 70 participating wineries and food too ,you’re sure to have a good time. Friday, February 2nd and Saturday, February 3rd with tickets starting at $135
Tickets recently went on sale for these three future festivals that almost always sell out! Purchase now for no FOMO and the lowest tier of pricing…
Pebble Beach Food & Wine 2024: As fancy as fancy can be, this event is returning to the Monterey coast on April 4th-7th. “Over the course of four days, 125 global chefs, 150 wineries, mixologists, sommeliers, and beverage personalities will gather for a destination event at the iconic Pebble Beach Resorts.” Tickets start at $475
Saunters and Sips 2024: “Saunter & Sip your way through the Carousel House, Santa Barbara's stunning oceanfront venue. Our members will be pouring Rosés and delicious Sparkling wines with over 25 Sta. Rita Hills wineries showcase their current and new release wines. Lite bites from local restaurants and lively music round out our event for a lovely Spring afternoon at the beach.” This event takes place on April 13th from 2:30-5:30 PM with early bird pricing of $99/ticket ending February 18th!
Paso Wine Fest 2024: There will be a myriad of events taking place from May 16th-19th, 2024 including tastings from over 100 wineries, culinary bites and samples, craft spirits, artisan vendors, live entertainment, brand experiences, and more! The Paso Wine Fest Grand Tasting is on Saturday, May 18th with early bird pricing of $135/ticket ending February 29th!