2020 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills

The appellation Pinot Noir from Brewer-Clifton is always a winner, as well as one heck of a value. The 2020 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills reveals a medium ruby hue to go with a gorgeous perfume of red and blue fruits, peppery herbs, underbrush, and a touch of iron. With notable richness, medium body, ripe tannins, and integrated acidity, it has a terrific mix of Old World complexity and structure with plenty of California fruit. It will drink brilliantly for a decade. Enough can’t be said about the quality that’s consistently delivered by Greg Brewer’s Brewer-Clifton releases. As always, these wines are basically harvested all at the same time (by vineyard) and are not destemmed, with the aging occurring all in old barrels. The goal here is to show the difference between the vineyards, and I think he succeeds admirably.

The 2020 Pinot Noir (Sta. Rita Hills) is fabulous. In fact, the appellation wine is my favorite Pinot in this range. The combination of the sites, and a bit less stem influence than the vineyard designates, works so well. There's a bit more fruit, more mid-palate sweetness and better balance overall, in my view. All the elements are so well put together. All of this fruit is from Machado and Hapgood.