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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.9 pts. and median of 92 pts. in 24 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by MarkLeithe on 2/26/2024: Surprised at how good this bottle still is. Stone fruit and wonderful acid to make it age well. Well balanced despite 16.4% alcohol. (53 views) | | | Tasted by veniceslug1 on 8/10/2018 & rated 91 points: still a beautiful wine. Nice acid, but not as pronounced as a similarly priced burgundy. A great drink still. (890 views) | | | Tasted by Hamersly on 1/15/2017 & rated 93 points: Pale amber color points to some oxidation, but still delicious. Retains its liveliness on Day 1 only, when it delights with stone fruit, citrus and honey without being cloying. Drink now. (1020 views) | | | Tasted by jonahfactor on 12/31/2013 & rated 95 points: New Year's Eve accompanying our traditional at-home Lobsterfest. Turning more golden and having added weight in the six months since we last tried this. Viscous legs. Could easily go toe-to-toe with a heavyweight Meursault as it pumps out more and more flavor over a two-hour dinner. Curtains open with butterscotch and mild, nutty, buttered-popcorn qualities. Over time the fruit steps into the limelight (pineapple, quince, apple, white peach, lemon zest) with a touch of marshmallow in the finish. The acidity keeps it fresh and incredibly food friendly right through the encore. A delight.
On Day 2 this wine takes on a more honeyed quality and becomes less food friendly. Best on Day 1 when it's fresh and lively. Let it open up in the glass over the course of a two- to three-hour dinner. (1740 views) | | | Tasted by jonahfactor on 6/23/2013 & rated 96 points: Brilliant! Could balance this on the head of a pin. Perfect tension between lush fruit and acidity without the heavy hand of oak so many California winemakers rely on. Deep gold with medium legs in the glass. A cornucopia of fruit -- apricot, pineapple, guava, honeydew melon, essence of raspberry and grapefruit (zest of lemon, too?) -- framed by a toasty component that shines but never overwhelms from first sniff to 60-second finish. Time in the glass serves it well. (Lyn was right that I should have decanted this -- but decanting an eight-year-old Calif. Chard????) After two hours it developed even greater complexity, taking on more tropical notes and an enchanting bouquet. Serve this at slightly below cellar temp. Bravo! (1876 views) | | | Tasted by jonahfactor on 12/31/2012 & rated 95 points: (New Year's Eve Eve Lobsterfest with H&M) A beautiful expression of Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay. Inconsequential legs with an elusive bouquet when first opened. However, over time it developed the enchanting scents of a New England antique shop. Color tending toward golden. Unusually fruit forward for a still relatively young B-C wine, with a wonderful honeyed quality that accompanied lush tropical fruits (Matt nailed it with "pineapple"). All of that integrated into a perfect backbone of acidity. Ripe. Lush. Precise. Stellar winemaking, and perfect with lobster and drawn butter sprinkled with paprika. (1926 views) | | | Tasted by tederf on 10/10/2010 & rated 93 points: I didn't take notes but this is the way I like my chardonnay. Not oaky - so none of the buttery flavor. Rather this had mineral, some lemon and very good mouth feel. (1875 views) | | | Tasted by lrperkins on 1/2/2010 & rated 94 points: Wow. Very deceptive wine. Looking at the bottle, you think this is going to be your typical, cloyingly sweet, California butter-bomb. Couldn't be more mistaken. It is massive, with a very hearty mouth-feel, but that's where the comparisons end. There's the slightest bit of oak, but its so balanced with acidity, deceptively noticable minerality, and plenty of that good acidic tropical fruit essence. I agree with the reviewer who said to drink it cool. The booziness and the mouthfeel may overwhelm it otherwise. Just a fantastic bottle. It was shared amongst 8 friends, and everyone loved it. Need to get more... (1958 views) | | | Tasted by depdoc on 4/24/2009 & rated 93 points: Marvelous. Nose of butterscotch and pineapple. Full bodied and well balanced. Superb. (1383 views) | | | Tasted by air guitar & pinot noir on 12/1/2008 & rated 94 points: A deep golden hue in color. Flowers, lime and green tea on the nose. Flavors of tapioca, cinnamon and creme brulee. Full bodied with a very rich and creamy texture. Only 2016 bottles produced. Excellent bottle of wine. (1060 views) | | | Tasted by depdoc on 9/19/2008 & rated 92 points: Nose of pineapple with a mouthful of tropical fruit that is superbly well balanced. Like a white Burgundy, but better. The minerals are subtle and no oak. The aftertaste goes on and on. (1242 views) | | | Tasted by sosgoodjhu on 9/1/2008 & rated 92 points: If you get is cool enough to hide the heat this a great SB chard that offers tropical fruits, citrus oil, pear, riding on a nice acidic backbone.
Paired well with oysters at Craft LA. (1214 views) | | | Tasted by JOsgood on 8/24/2008 & rated 93 points: Beautiful showing at Craft, this wine needs to be served cold and with food to really strut its stuff. Very big mid palate with a long finish. The massive alcohol glides across the palate when it is cold enough. Rich and delicious juice. (1251 views) | | | Tasted by smphelps on 5/1/2008 & rated 86 points: Big fleshy wine. 16.4% alcohol. Nose of over ripe pears. Heavy mouthfeel almost glycerin like. Plenty of fruit, modest acid. A bit overbearing. (1320 views) | | | Tasted by grrrpor on 1/19/2008 & rated 92 points: clean. elegant. a wonderfully balanced but BIG chard. nothing fighting here - no oak to speak of (hey, a nice white for the CA Oak Haters....) (1425 views) | | | Tasted by MJHDC on 11/11/2007: Gold color; tropical-citrus fruit nose, lemon, banana, pineapple, papaya, dried apricot; the palate has a bit of initial sweetness, followed by mineral; some crispness, long finish. Lots going on here. Paired well with an asian style dark fish. (1596 views) | | | Tasted by dbkitc on 10/2/2007 & rated 94 points: Medium golden. Wonderful, intense, ripe yet balanced California Chardonnay that holds its alcohol well. Deep and thoroughly enjoyable. (94) (1683 views) | | | Tasted by dbkitc on 8/6/2007 & rated 92 points: (at the Winery) Great sweet fruit, acid balance. Apricot. (92) (1634 views) | | | Tasted by the godfather on 7/5/2007 & rated 86 points: I have nothing against a lot of alchohol, this is is past my limit, no matter how much you cool this down all you get is heat, I can't get past it. (1723 views) | | | Tasted by JOsgood on 7/4/2007 & rated 88 points: Crisp and clean as I noted before. Nose of apples and pears. Zippy and zesty with good acidity. Nice balance but not a lot of complexity. I like the BC Pinots much better than the Chards. (1685 views) | | | Tasted by JOsgood on 6/14/2007 & rated 91 points: Tasted at the winery - really enjoyable in the crisp and clean style that is the hallmark of a Greg Brewer Chardonnay. I liked it so much that I ordered more. More detailed notes to come on my next bottle. (1795 views) | | | Tasted by SeaRanch on 6/13/2007 & rated 93 points: Very impressive, fruit forward but good backbone. Should appeal to a diverse set of palates. (1827 views) |
| Brewer-Clifton Producer website
Addt'l Info (Jackson Family Wine Group)
Born of an obsession with Santa Barbara County terroir, we formed Brewer-Clifton in the early 1990’s. We both had significant sales and production experience with a multitude of Santa Barbara County wineries, and always felt compelled to push the limits of the fruit from the area further than our previous employers had set forth to do. We set out to put the essence of the best vineyards in the area into a bottle.
We focus our efforts solely on the production of vineyard designated Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from several carefully selected, extreme vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. The area's long growing seasons and diversity of marine-based soils combine to produce dynamic and explosive wines with great purity and precision. Each vineyard site is nurtured identically, allowing the pedigree of place to play the most significant role in our portfolio of wines.
In addition to our collective efforts, Steve Clifton also produces wine under his own label, called Palmina, which focuses exclusively on Italian varietals, and is the winemaker at Tritono, an Argentine producer of Malbec. Greg Brewer produces wine under the diatom label, as well as being the winemaker at Melville, a Santa Rita Hills winery dedicated to estate grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah.
Brewer-Clifton wines are only available in small quantities. Total production averages between 4,000 and 6,500 cases annually.
Brewer-Clifton is owned and operated by Steve Clifton, a musician, and Greg Brewer, a former professor of French. The pair started Brewer-Clifton in 1995 and they source grapes from the Santa Rita Hills appellation. Brewer-Clifton makes Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wine. The wines earn ratings in the 90s from reviewers, and Wine Advocate has noted that “Brewer and Clifton consistently deliver delicious wines that are also deeply thought provoking with regards to the potential these vineyard sites hold.”Chardonnay The Chardonnay GrapeUSAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Central Coasthttp://www.ccwinegrowers.org/links.html
http://www.discovercaliforniawines.com/regional-wine-organizations/
http://beveragetradenetwork.com/en/btn-academy/list-of-winegrowers-association-in-central-coast-california-274.htm
Central Coast AVA Wikipedia |
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