Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2021

JD95: Leading off the reds, the 2021 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills offers a pure, complex, intense perfume of ripe raspberries, peppery herbs, exotic flowers, and underbrush. This deep, rich, medium to full-bodied Pinot Noir has a layered mouthfeel, ripe tannins, remarkable purity, and a great, great finish. It will stand up to anything in the vintage and should be snatched up by savvy readers.

As usual with Greg’s wines, these wines are not destemmed and are brought up all in neutral barrels. Most of the Chardonnays check in around 14% alcohol, with the Pinot Noirs between 14%-14.5%, and they all have singular characters as well as a decade of longevity at a minimum. You’ll be hard pressed to find a better lineup of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from anyone in California.