2013 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills)

This is a strong set of new releases from Brewer-Clifton. The Chardonnays in particular are brilliant, once again showing just how compelling this vintage can be. As always, the Chardonnays are built on texture and phenolic intensity. The Pinot Noirs are done with 100% whole clusters (the appellation wine sees 60-80%), with long cold soaks and maceration times lasting as long as 4-5 weeks.

Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton recently sold a majority interest in Brewer-Clifton to an investment team headed by Master Sommelier Ken Frederickson. For some time, it had been obvious that B-C was undercapitalized, with more vineyard land than they could reasonably expect to develop with just the organic growth of the business. Although things are still in transition, my distinct impression is that Greg Brewer is playing a larger role in B-C Version 2.0 than Steve and Chrystal Clifton. One of the recent developments here over the last few years has been the move towards working exclusively with estate vineyards. The new capital should help B-C get the most out of that land. Some of the recent additions to the range from newer plantings suggest there is still plenty of upside to be realized.

The 2013 chardonnays here were being prepared for bottling and were not in a state to taste so I was only able to try Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton's entry-level bottling, which was perhaps the best "basic" wine I tasted during the course of my trip. Taking that into account, I expect that the single-vineyard offerings, which are scheduled to be released in January, should be high-priority buys for fans of this winery. As usual, the 2012 pinots were made entirely with whole clusters and show the flamboyant fruit of the vintage to full effect, but the wines have more than enough acidity and framework to suggest that they'll age gracefully. Brewer thinks that they'll be appealing to those "who drink pinot for its sex appeal" as well as those "who want them to show a little more mystery" down the road.