Montemar Winery
Get the Dirt from Steve Arrowood
“I fell in love with the Central Coast while attending school in SLO (not for wine). It is beautiful and uncrowded. We have very good fruit sources all over but the Sta. Rita Hills (for me) is the most special – meaning few peers in the world for Pinot Noir.”
What was your first vintage year? 1992
How many cases do you make per vintage? 1400 cases - 14 different bottlings
Do you have a Tasting Room?
Yes in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto. We are open Thursday – Monday, 11-5 or by appointment at 310-365-6236.
How did you get your start in the winemaking business?
Several years of collecting and traveling to regions near and far drove me to start a winery in my garage in Palos Verdes in 1992. Initial production was 20 bad cases but within a few years the wine was great and we were at 200 cases. In 2009 I got bonded and moved most of the production to my bonded facility. I still make small lots in my garage with friends and can experiment with new stuff there.
What wine made you want to become a winemaker/start your own winery?
Traveling and spending time with many winemakers.
What varietals do you work with?
Rhone and Burgundian varietals mostly, plus anything else I think would be great. I want to work with fruit that can be among the best in the world, some varietals have not demonstrated that in SB County YET.
What vineyards do you source from? Why?
I source from vineyards that I believe aspire to be the best without regard to cost on the owners part. I have long term contracts on all my small blocks and farm them the way I want in coordination with the vineyard manager. I have had some of my same rows for 14 years. I have 7 Pinot Noir blocks in Sta. Rita Hills – La Encantada, Rio Vista, Bentrock, Radian, Rita’s Crown and Zotovich. My Rhone varietals come from McGinley, Vogelzang, Watch Hill, Thompson and Martian and I have G, S and M in barrel. I also get Sangiovese from Stolpman Vineyards. Stolpman puts as much love, effort and money into their vineyards as anyone and more than most – check them out if you haven’t already.
What type of oak treatment do you use? Why?
I am all tight grained French oak and many barrels are 3 years air dried. The varietal, vineyard and year dictate the exact barrel plan. Variables include new vs neutral, 225L vs 500L and different coopers as each has its own profile. On average Pinot gets less new oak ~ 30% vs syrah ~40+ while I generally put Sangiovese and Grenache in neutral barrels and puncheons.
What do you love about your winemaking region? What makes it different special?
I fell in love with the Central Coast while attending school in SLO (not for wine). It is beautiful and uncrowded. We have very good fruit sources all over but the Sta. Rita Hills (for me) is the most special – meaning few peers in the world for Pinot Noir. I love Rhone varietals as they produce a great wine in an almost uncountable amount of places – not so with Pinot Noir. As a consumer, which I will always be, there are not many regions in the US where there is world class wines, limited crowds and no reservations needed to spend some quality time with the wine people. If a place has more than a handful of employees it is not for me.
What's the story behind your name/label?
I started in 92 as cooperative de garagistes and that is still my LLC name, while it has special meaning for me it is too long for a public name, so I created Montemar. The name came from a street below me in PV and means hill by the ocean and that is where all our vines are. The shield was borrowed from my favorite football club - Barcelona as I wanted something to look old and European. The trident is my city and high school emblem and came from a statute donated by the Italians in 1920. The colors remind me of Siena – it took me 2 years to finish it. There is no info on the front as I do not plan to sell in stores.
What's the one thing you wish someone had told you about the wine business before you started your own winery?
I wish someone would have told me to do it much sooner.
We're curious…do you even get tired of drinking your own wine?
Is it considered bad form to dip into your inventory? Not really, I do it often and love to see the evolution. However I have a very big cellar and drink from that inventory often, each bottle evokes a great memory and many were made by friends or people I admire. None were bought based on scores – I did buy wine based on scores a long long time ago but soon found my palate and dumped the rags.
Do you still have a day job? Nope.
For more information, follow Montemar on FACEBOOK.