2011 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills)

Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton described 2012 as "an extremely strong vintage, with elements of '11, '10 and '09 rolled into one package."The chardonnays I tasted here this fall confirm that view, as they show a suave blend of richness and vivacity, with the spine to age but plenty of immediately appealing fruit as well.Speaking of B-C's chardonnays, I tend to find them quite cerebral and relatively restrained for their power, while the pinots show an extroverted, even exotic character, with more opulent fruit expression than the chardonnays.I'd go so far as to say that the B-C chardonnays demand more patience than the pinots; put another way, the pinots provide more upfront pleasure and demand less patience to reveal their charms than the chardonnays.As for the 2011 pinots, Brewer and Clifton think that they're already beginning to hint a bit at complexity, with expressive aromatics that give them near-term appeal, but that they also have the requisite acidity to age gracefully.The whole-cluster regimen here means that the Brewer-Clifton pinots are always well-structured, despite their opulence, but those stems also bring out exotic spice and floral character, giving the wines (like these '11s) great sex appeal straight out of the box.

Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton suffered the same fate as most of their colleagues. The spring frost took with it a whopping 40% of production. At the end of the day, that may have turned out to be a silver lining, as a full crop load would have never ripened during a growing season that was long and cold. The 2011s are quite rich on the palate, but they are all backed up by the insistent salinity that is the hallmark of the year. The 2011 Chardonnays spent about 10 months in neutral oak. After harvest, the Pinots were given a 7 day cold soak. The wines were fermented with just under 100% whole clusters and spent about 28-40 days on the skins. Racking took place in June, which is also the first time the wines were sulfured. The 2011 Pinots were bottled in early December after about 13 months in barrel. Brewer and Clifton have made the decision going forward to only work with sites they farm themselves. It is a courageous decision, and one that certainly includes a short-term economic hit, but one that is clearly understandable, especially after tasting these wines. Think about it. Winemakers only get one shot per year to make their wines. It is only natural to want to control all of the steps of production, from start to finish. At this level, every step is critical. Count me among those who are very excited to see what develops here over the coming years. It is my expectation that tomorrow's wines will be even better than the already lofty standard set here over the years. The Machado, 3-D and Gnesa Chardonnays will be joined by new bottlings from Hapgood and Acin, while 2011 will be the last vintage for the Sweeney Canyon and Mount Carmel Chardonnays. Going forward, the Pinot range will consist of Machado and 3-D, plus a new wine from Hapgood (starting in 2013), while the Melville, Ampelos, Mount Carmel and Cargasacchi Pinots will no longer be made.