Wine Advisor
Brewer-Clifton, Sta Rita Hills Chardonnay 2022
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Matthew Luczy
The 2022 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills is a well-crafted, accessible example of the rich but focused style of Chardonnay at Brewer-Clifton. The nose combines orchard and stone fruits with hints of citrus zing and accents of struck flint. The palate is straightforward and balanced, flanked by pleasing grip and a welcome stoniness through the finish.
About the Producer
Brewer Clifton is located in the Santa Rita Hills, a wine region in California, USA. The winery is dedicated to showcasing the unique terroir of the Santa Rita Hills through its chardonnay and pinot noir wines. Clinton is based on traditional winemaking concepts, while learning extensively from European winemaking techniques, using the most sincere and effective winemaking methods to interpret the classic style of the Santa Rita Hills itself. It is the winery's supreme goal to reflect the character of the vineyard as clearly and honestly as possible. The winery has an immense respect for nature. They believe that nature should be fully respected in the making of its products (wines). At any time, this lack of awareness can lead to a winemaking effort that is contrary to the goals that have been pursued. Therefore, any human intervention in the winemaking process must be carefully considered and acted upon. The winery believes that the unique geography, terrain and climate of Mount Santa Rita provide the ideal environment for the cultivation of concentrated, complex and distinctive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Clinton Vineyard is located in the unique Santa Rita Hills wine region. The unique cross-grain funnel terrain provides a wide variety of soil types and the cool climate of the west coast means that the grapes grown here enjoy a long growing cycle, especially for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The high quality of the grapes grown here can be compared to the beauty of the vineyard itself. The vineyards are planted in a very simple way, paying close attention to the vines and all the signals from nature, and then responding to them with a series of measures. The vineyard is planted according to the specific needs of each vineyard. Every work carried out in the vineyard is aimed at finding a balance between the vines, the location, the microclimate, etc. in each vineyard. For vineyards that are not managed by the estate, the winery maintains close contact with the owners and teaches the growers the estate's philosophy to ensure that the grapes harvested in other vineyards also meet the estate's requirements. The winery owns and manages three vineyards, spanning the entire Santa Rita Hills production area, from the easternmost to the coastal vineyards in the west. To ensure that the unique terroir of each vineyard is reflected in the wines, the winery pays the growers by the acre, a win-win approach that ensures that the grapes harvested at the winery are of the right standard. Clinton's winery produces mainly Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and sparkling wines such as 2011 3-D Chardonnay, Mount Carmel Chardonnay, 2011 Ampelos Pinot Noir and Machado Pinot Noir, as well as some sparkling wines such as 2010 3-D Sparkling Chardonnay, etc. The single-vineyard Grand Cru wines from Clinton Vineyards are smooth, while the Santa Rita Hills wines are suitable for younger drinkers.
