2014 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay 3-D

Community Tasting Notes (4) Avg Score: 90.7 points

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  10/18/2023 - larsum Likes this wine: 95 Points

  Aired in a decanter for four hours. Structurally like a red wine but softened up with time. My view not consistent with other tasters. V good with chanterelle pasta.

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  12/30/2018 - tcosgriff Does not like this wine: 79 Points

  Pale yellow color with little in the way of bouquet and flavor, just alcohol, some minerals, and some oak. Clunky and not at all pleasant.
  Brewer-Clifton hasn't been able to match the best Chardonnays like those of Aubert and Marcassin. No need to keep banging our heads against this wall.

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  1/24/2018 - msuwine wrote: 92 Points

  This tight yet honeyed Chardonnay is drinking fine right now, though it seems to need another 6-12 months to unfold. There is an intriguing core there, but it's not showing its cards just yet, even after more than an hour of air.
  
  Light yellow, almost silver in color; thick in body (tear drops on glass, consistency of whole milk); somewhat muted nose of lemon peel, beeswax, and salt water. Tastes of green apple, lemon meringue, minerals, and vanilla bean, with a viscous and somewhat syrupy finish (read: almost no acidity). 14% alcohol (though I would have guessed higher). A little better (more citrus) on second day.
  
  I drank this next to a 2014 Kistler Trenton Roadhouse, which outclassed the Brewer-Clifton in every respect. The two wines had similar oak influence and alcohol level, but the Kistler was more fragrant, complex, and graceful. I like big CA whites (e.g., Aubert, Morlet), but I also like them to have a little more pep in their step. My hunch is that Brewer-Clifton is a bit too heavy for me, but I'll keep an open mind with my other bottles.

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  5/4/2017 - Christoffer78 wrote: 95 Points

  When tasting a wine like this it is very hard not feel privileged. This is one of the few top Chardonnays from California which is built around elegance combined with power rather than the more common sheer power. The nose exhibits rich minerals, wonderful yellow colza flowers on a clear summer day, tons of exotic fruits and subtle oak which is totally integrated. Last but certainly not least, the perfume from white flowers. This is complexity at its very best. The palate follows through in the same strikingly elegant way with balance and a finesse seldomly seen in this appellation. The wine has a wonderful viscosity in the glass and appears as rather massive, but that is just a facade. This wine is all about elegance. The structure and texture sums up the experience in a blessed way. There is so much promise for the future I simply need to resist trying this again in the near future. This is a stunning effort to say the least.
  
  Tasted in a flight with 2014 Brewer-Clifton 3-D Chardonnay, Hapgood Chardonnay, 3-D Pinot Noir and Machado Pinot Noir. Same producer and vintage, two varietals, three vineyards.

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