Lightning Rock has a new winemaker: Sébastien Hotte

Lightning Rock winemaker, Sébastien Hotte

Recent changes at family owned winery, Lightning Rock in Summerland, BC, presented an exciting opportunity: a chance to succeed inimitable winemaker Jordan Kubek.

Kubek recently branched off with husband Tyler Knight, to focus full time on their project, Pamplemousse Jus, a collaboration with James Langford Smith.

Kubek and Knight established Lightning Rock as a premier winery in Canada, known for benchmark traditional method bubbles.

It takes equal parts skill, experience, and a healthy dose of crazy to attempt to fill the shoes of as talented a winemaker as Kubek, and there was one person willing to try: Sébastien Hotte.

Hotte began his career as a sommelier, eventually making the inevitable leap into production, a jump many make when the itch to do more beckons.

The now defunct winery, Ricco Bambino in the Okanagan Valley, provided a diving board into natural wine for Hotte, and it was there that he established himself as a serious name in the low intervention category.

From there, he moved on to Harper’s Trail in the Thompson Valley, where he worked as head winemaker for the past three vintages.

Hotte took over Lightning Rock in early 2023, and plans to carry on with the same philosophies and farming practices the winery has become synonymous with.

You could be considered the "underdog/sleeper hit" of the Canadian wine industry. You have a cult following of loyal imbibers who clamour to get their hands on your wines - which are rare and hard to find. Was any of this premeditated?

Thank you for the compliment. I definitely don’t see myself in the same manner but can understand that the scarcity of my wines may create this image. This was not premeditated at all. Initially, I had hoped for a yearly organic growth to the label, but my previous employers weren't supportive of my brand and did not allow me to produce my own wine. So, it’s remained “under the radar.”

Tell me about your winemaking past, what you've learned, and where you're going from here.

This year will be my tenth on the winery side, in addition to my years as a sommelier. I feel that my trajectory has been similar to some of my colleagues that have migrated from the restaurant industry. I started with an internship that became a revelation for a passion, followed by some schooling and a full time career change.

I have been fortunate enough that some of the cellars I worked in offered lots of creative freedom and room for discussion and expression. The opportunity to experiment has allowed great growth to my skillset.

I’ve unquestionably evolved from a natural winemaking purist to more of an open minded and attentive winemaker. I’ve also moved from cellar only employee to being a vigneron. This is where I want to be - always evolving and adapting, while furthering my knowledge to be the best version of myself.

Congratulations are in order - you're taking the helm at Lightning Rock. Share your thoughts on this transition, and what you hope to achieve.

I am really excited for this transition. The opportunity presented itself and I couldn't resist. Jordan and Tyler have done great work establishing Lightning Rock, and I really want to carry on the traditions they started. Following in their footsteps is a bit scary, but I believe I am well equipped to do so.

I am hoping to achieve a continuation of philosophies that we share in regards to creating wines and being vignerons: organic farming, low-intervention winemaking with attention to detail in all aspects of the farm.

Some know the history/past of what transpired with Ricco Bambino - can you share the sordid tale and how that impacted your career trajectory? What did you learn from that experience?

Ricco Bambino was a completely different experience for me personally than what anyone knows or thinks. A lot of attention was directed at Jason’s polarizing personality while not knowing the full scope of what was happening behind the scenes.

I enjoyed myself. I had 100% creative freedom, established a vineyard with some cultivars that I enjoyed working with, and I built a cellar to suit all my needs. The business was sold and my position was no longer needed by the new owners.

Woefully, the rumour mill in regards to this work experience did shine some light on the negative side to our industry. I will keep it at that, but would like to point out that only a few people know the real story. Whatever you’ve heard is most likely untrue.

In celebration of your new position, you’re releasing “one last hurrah” of Sébastien Laurent wines with Crushable, to be released later this month.

Tell us what folks can expect from this pack.

There are two wines: Cabernet Franc and Riesling.

The Cabernet Franc is farmed by Paven Sekhon, a colleague that I have been working with for a few years. My 2019 “Tomber en Pamoison” Merlot was also sourced from him. Similar to that wine, this Cabernet Franc underwent carbonic maceration followed by a direct pressing and finished off in stainless steal.

Following my usual intentions, this wine underwent indigenous fermentation. I wanted to make something that was uncomplicated and accessible, while getting into spring mode. I believe I was able to achieve it with this wine.

The Riesling was locally sourced and farmed organically. Over the past 3 years, I have been playing with barrel fermented rieslings and unfortunately they were never released. When the opportunity came to do a small lot for myself, I was excited.

Following a 24 hour skin contact, the wine went into primary neutral oak and a small portion (>10%) into stainless steel. The wines were fermented and aged separately for 4 months and blended prior to bottling.

What are you excited about most, to now be making wine in Summerland?

The sense of community the Okanagan offers is what brought me back. I was feeling a little lonely in the Thompson Valley. I am thrilled to be surrounded by likeminded people. Also, how can one not be thrilled working with vineyards in Summerland. Bubbles, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay? Yes please!

What have you been drinking lately?

My drinking habits have been quite varied lately, but reflective of where I’m at in my wine journey. I have been revisiting some old classics and initial loves like Bordeaux, Bourgogne and wines from the Piemonte. I’m always keeping an eye out for obscure or new-to-me wines. Basically, if I don’t know it, I want to try it.

This is the last we'll see from your Sébastien Laurent label for awhile as you settle in at your new gig - what can we expect to see from you in the future?

That is a big question. I want to focus all my attention on Lightning Rock while maintaining a balanced family life. Establishing roots and a homestead for a family is our current priority, and hopefully this will be within our own small hobby farm. Who knows what we will be fermenting then?

Stay tuned for info on the upcoming Crushable x Sébastien Laurent collab by subscribing here.