10 Years of Liquid Farm

A Q&A with winemaker James Sparks

by Hana-Lee Sedgwick

Liquid Farm was founded by wine industry veteran Jeff Nelson, whose commitment to eating local led to a desire to produce Santa Barbara County wines more similar in profile to those he gravitated towards from the Old World — namely the low-alcohol, mineral-driven wines of Burgundy. Recognizing that certain areas of Santa Barbara had optimal soils and microclimates for producing the balanced, food-friendly wines he preferred, he established Liquid Farm in 2009, primarily focused on Chardonnays that showcase different expressions of the region.

Last year, Liquid Farm hit two milestones, celebrating 10 years in business and opening their first tasting room, located in Los Olivos. Throughout these turning points, the team has remained driven by one of their fundamental principles: that all great wine starts in the vineyard. I sat down with winemaker James Sparks to learn more about Liquid Farm and why these wines are as much about what’s below ground as above.

Congrats to the Liquid Farm team on the 10-year anniversary! I know you haven’t been on board since the beginning, but when did you get involved and what drew you to this project?

I was assistant winemaker for Dragonette Cellars when I met Jeff Nelson. I had started with Dragonette in 2009, at about the same time as Liquid Farm’s inception. At that time, Dragonette was making Liquid Farm’s wines — so, technically, I’ve been working on these wines from the start, even though I wasn’t the dedicated winemaker. I joined the Liquid Farm team as winemaker in 2013, first drawn to the project due to its then-focus on single-varietal Chardonnay, which had an Old World inspiration.

You source from several vineyards throughout the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, a region predominantly planted to pinot noir. What prompted Liquid Farm to be dedicated to mostly chardonnay? How many different styles do you make?

Chardonnay was what Jeff tended to drink, and his career before launching Liquid Farm was selling wine for some of France’s top Champagne and Burgundy houses, so he organically felt driven to make a French-leaning Chardonnay with grapes from our region. We source from a carefully curated selection of vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley AVAs — all of which are meticulously farmed — and currently make five different styles of Chardonnay: Four, Golden Slope, White Hill, Bien Bien, and La Hermana.

Besides chardonnay, what other varieties do you work with?

Pinot noir and mourvèdre (for the rosé).

The Pinots and rosé are also great, I have to say. So how would you describe Liquid Farm’s winemaking philosophy?

Our wine philosophy incorporates Old World inspiration meshed with our support of local viticulture. The wines are earth- and mineral-driven, with little or no use of new oak, shining a spotlight on the representation of the soil in which the vines producing these wines have grown.

Our sustainably produced wines face minimal contact in the winery, yielding modest alcohol levels and preserved natural acidity.

It’s true, Liquid Farm wines — the Chardonnays especially — are known for their unmistakable minerality. In general, wines from the Sta. Rita Hills tend to have a noticeable saline-like quality, but is minerality something you attribute more to the region or to winemaking techniques?

When we begin picking the grapes determines how the wines evolve once in the winery. So we believe that winemaking practices actually begin in the vineyards. We pick based on taste more so than on lab numbers. So yes, some of that minerality is attributed to the region, but pick time — restraint — is a large part of preserving the grapes’ natural acidity.

If someone could only try one wine that really captures the spirit and essence of Liquid Farm, which would you say it should be?

White Hill, due to its minerality as you’ve noted.

Do you have a favorite pairing with Liquid Farm wines?

I’ve been told I make killer gougères, which lend themselves perfectly to Liquid Farm Chardonnays.

What do you think makes Santa Barbara special for producing wine?

The climate and soil are two of the biggest components which make SBC wines what they are, and distinguish them from other growing regions. I don’t know if you could get wines like the ones coming out of the Sta. Rita Hills anywhere else. In the words of Jeff: “The quality of the fruit, farming, and people in this valley is second to none.”