Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills 2020

Santa Rita Hills, California

Jeb Dunnuck 95 points! Wine Advocate 94 points!

Greg Brewer was named Winemaker of the Year 2020 by Wine Enthusiast!

Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills is a superb Chardonnay from the Santa Rita Hills appellation. This bottling is comprised of 100% estate chardonnay from three vineyards within the AVA. 3D, Machado and Acin all contribute to the wine. Only neutral Sirugue barrels are used for 12-18 months. Whole Cluster pressed chardonnay. The winery does not promote or prohibit malolactic fermentation, allowing wine to be in balance, bright and elegant. In the words of Founder/Winemaker Greg Brewer, “We are committed to a finite stretch of land within the Sta. Rita Hills appellation even before we mapped and defined it some twenty years ago. From our first working moments here in the early 1990’s, we have been lured and seduced by this magnificent wine growing area. The pure crystalline sand soils under our feet and the salty air blowing continuously from the rugged nearby sea set an immediate hook from which we could never escape.”

Leading off the Chardonnay, the 2020 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills offers a gorgeous perfumed of orange blossom, honeyed almonds, brioche, and lemon oil. Rich, medium to full-bodied, and concentrated, with great acidity and a distinct sense of minerality on the palate, this thrilling, deep, layered, singular Chardonnay will keep for over a decade.”—Jeb Dunnuck, 95 points!

“The 2020 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills begins with a touch of matchstick reduction, requiring plenty of aeration. It unfolds slowly to warm white peaches and singular wafts of lychee and dried tarragon, an intriguing interplay of exoticism and savory reduction. The palate is still youthfully coiled with linear acidity, anchoring texture and an evolving finish that hints at more to come. Give it a few years in bottle to unwind. Drink 2022-2027.”—Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94 points!

Enjoy Brewer-Clifton Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills with lobster, roast chicken, grilled salmon, and aged cheeses.