2014 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills)

It will be interesting to see how things develop at Brewer-Clifton its newest incarnation under the ownership of Ken Fredrickson, the Chicago-based Master Sommelier and wholesaler, who, along with a group of partners, purchased the winery last year. Greg Brewer continues to make the wines. There is every reason to believe Brewer-Clifton will continue to excel. The infusion of fresh capital will allow Brewer-Clifton to continue to develop their estate vineyards now that the winery works exclusively with estate fruit. All of the wines are fermented in the rigorously same manner, with the same picking parameters in the field, the same yeasts and the same elevage across the Pinots and Chardonnays, with the goal of isolating and emphasizing pure expression of site. The style might be defined as either highly disciplined or excessively rigid, depending on one's point of view. In the end, what matters is what is in the glass. Greg Brewer insists that nothing has really changed at Brewer-Clifton over the years, but, to me, the wines feel less ripe and pushed in style than they once were. There are plenty of highlights in this range, that much is clear.