Brewer-Clifton Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir 2019
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Jeb
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Wine
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The 2019 exudes aromas of pomegranate, white tea, and raspberry. The palate is chracterized by notes of dried fig, white truffle, and ripe cherries, with a savory texture and rooibos tea notes on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Gorgeous kirsch and framboise fruits as well as spice and dried flower notes all emerge from the 2019 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills. It's a fresher, more elegant example from this great estate, with a solid spine of acidity, beautiful balance, and a great, great finish. It's brilliant today but will be even better with another year of bottle age and keep for at least 10-15 years in cold cellars.
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Wine Enthusiast
For a slightly reduced price, this appellation blend allows fans of this brand to check into the magic that Greg Brewer is up to. The floral nose is redolent of violet and scarlet roses as well as pomegranate and red currant. The palate zings with acidity, presenting bright and fresh flavors of raspberry, citrus rind and herb.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills has bright cranberry and pomegranate aromas with touches of earth, tangerine and dark spice. The palate is delicately styled, with a soft, seamless texture and bright citrusy character lingering on the finish.
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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.