Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2021
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Winemaker Notes
This bottling is comprised of 100% estate Pinot Noir from three vineyards within the AVA. 3D, Machado and Hapgood all contribute to the wine which exhibits a drive, richness and pedigree expressive of our special growing area coupled with the purity of fruit and firm structure which have been the trademark of Brewer – Clifton.
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Wine Enthusiast
Even Greg Brewer’s appellation cuvée carries his hallmark, addictive combination of sensory sensations. Light in the glass, it begins with aromas of fresh strawberry, red plum, wild thyme and chaparral spice on the nose. The palate snaps with refreshing acidity, powering through vibrant red fruit, earthy herb and peppery spice flavors. Delicious, fun, memorable. Editors’ Choice
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the reds, the 2021 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills offers a pure, complex, intense perfume of ripe raspberries, peppery herbs, exotic flowers, and underbrush. This deep, rich, medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir has a layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, remarkable purity, and a great, great finish. It will stand up to anything in the vintage and should be snatched up by savvy readers.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2021 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, made with an unusually high proportion of whole clusters (90%), has broody scents of dark cherries, blackberries, woodsmoke, underbrush and rooibos tea leaves. The medium-bodied palate is chalky and refreshing with concentrated, spicy flavors and a long, nuanced finish.
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Wine Spectator
Pretty, with high-pitched damson plum and cherry notes infused with rose petal and iris hints. The fresh finish is lined with red tea and sanguine hints. Drink now through 2027.
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Brewer-Clifton believes the geographic, geologic and climatic uniqueness of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation provides an ideal place to grow chardonnay and pinot noir grapes of intensity, complexity and specificity. This is why Founder and Winemaker Greg Brewer, Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Winemaker of the Year, has dedicated his life to this region. Within this appellation, each vineyard carries its own imprint. The Brewer-Clifton mission and passion is to present wines that convey the characteristics inherent to each of these sites, with uncompromising quality.
Brewer–Clifton has the utmost respect for nature. They believe when working with a product of nature, it is necessary to maintain an awareness of the elements and phenomena sometimes beyond their understanding and control. As such, any intervention in the natural evolution of the product must be carried out with the utmost attentiveness and care.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.