2018 Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Hapgood Vineyard

The 2018 Chardonnay Hapgood offers a touch more precision aromatically and gives up lots of buttered stone fruits, toasted hazelnuts, white flowers, and brioche aromas and flavors. More medium-bodied, concentrated, and nicely focused on the palate, it's a beautifully complete, classic Santa Barbara Chardonnay that does everything right. It has 10-15 years of prime drinking ahead of it. This is another brilliant lineup from Greg Brewer, and these Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs (as well as a terrific Syrah) are up with the finest wines in this report. These wines are never shrinking violets and have loads of fruit and texture, yet they always show singular characters, stunning balance, and weightless, elegant textures that make them a joy to drink. I think they're some of the finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays coming out of California today.

The 2018 Chardonnay Hapgood is elegant, lifted and classy to the core. Freshly cut flowers, bright citrus, chamomile and hints of apricot all run through the Hapgood. More than anything else I very much like the wine's weightless feel and translucent personality. This is an especially steely style, which is maybe a bit out of character for Brewer-Clifton, but it is attractive here.