Today we share one of the greats from Santa Barbara County. Icon Greg Brewer got his start more than twenty years ago, founding this house with his business partner and later selling to Jackson Family. I first visited this spot back in 2004 and was amazed with what you get for the price. The consistency of these wines has been remarkable.
I recently had the chance to review all of his new release wines and they were amazing across the board. About a decade ago Greg launched his ‘Diatom’ project, named after the diatomaceous earth that is found throughout Santa Barbara County. The 2023 Diatom Chardonnay (OB, 92) is outrageously good for the price. Salty and drenched in terroir, this beautiful wine is vibrant and fresh for a summer day. I adored the 2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘Machado’ Pinot Noir (OB, 95) which is a deeply textured bottling that has some serious aging potential. Learn more about these special wines at https://www.brewerclifton.com Here are the great new wines by Greg Brewer and Brewer-Clifton.
2023 Diatom Chardonnay- The 2023 Diatom Chardonnay utilizes Mt Eden Clone (and 4, 17, and 72) with vines set on limestone soils. This comes of salty and mineral-laden with honeydew melon and lime zest alongside kiwi notes. Drink 2024-2030-92
2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Chardonnay- The outstanding 2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Chardonnay was stored in mainly neutral oak barrels before bottling. Flint and pink grapefruit blossom alongside shades of Pink Lady apple on the nose. This shows beautiful concentration and underlying tension. Drink 2024-2034- 93
2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘3D’ Chardonnay- The dazzling 2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘3D’ Chardonnay is a dense, concentrated effort that has the weight and finesse to age gracefully. Sea salt dusted Meyer lemon, pie crust, and mango notes combine with the beautiful underlying stony minerals. Fresh and polished, with a seamless texture, this is beautifully evolved stuff that will cellar well over the next decade. Drink 2024-2036- 95
2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Pinot Noir- The 2022 ‘Santa Rita Hills’ Pinot Noir offers guava puree, cranberry and orange blossom alongside black truffle notes on the nose. The palate is soft and refined with beautiful freshness and medium bodied red fruits with plenty of salty minerals. Drink 2024-2034- 92
2022 Brewer-Clifton ‘Machado’ Pinot Noir- A stunning wine from this warmer vintage, the 2022 ‘Machado’ offers plenty of texture and flavor density once on the mouth. Dense strawberry and red cherry fruit flavors mingle well with wet stone and sea salt. Chewy and soft, showing good length, enjoy this beautiful wine over the next fifteen years to come. Drink 2024-2039- 95
2022 Ex Post Facto Syrah- A brilliant value bottling, the 2022 Ex Post Factor Syrah offers blood orange zest, wet stone, iron, wild blackberry and shades of loamy soils on the palate. Lighter to medium bodied, enjoy now and over the next few years. Drink 2024-2032- 92