Wines

from the winery:

When it comes to making Viognier, we aim for a very different style than what is typically produced in California, showcasing what can be done with the variety on the extremes of the coast. Effusively aromatic but not at all heavy like most Viognier, it bursts forth with a bright, vibrant, floral personality that is unlike any Viognier you’ve ever tasted. White flowers, citrus, unripe pineapple, and minerals dominate the aromas, while the palate is distinctively atypical for Viognier. A lemony freshness with notes of pomelo, barely ripe white nectarine, sweet white grapefruit, and pineapple core, braced by tremendously fresh acidity and super mineral finish.

250 cases produced
Fermented & aged 6 months 80% stainless steel & 20% neutral French oak
No malolactic fermentation
Drink now thru 2032
Alc: 14.0%

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94 Points! Brilliant acidity behind rich, ripe and creamy flavors. The wine is luscious, fresh, layered and long in the finish. Full-bodied, toasty and concentrated but sleek and elegant, too. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

 

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93 Points! Very structured, balanced and complete. Ripe black cherries, blueberries, toast and baking spices. This is the most widely available Alma Rosa pinot, made from mostly hillside, estate-grown grapes with no stems included. Aged in 30% new oak barrels. Drink now or hold. - JamesSuckling.com

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A new 'sku' for the Beckmen team, designed to provide incomparable value for money, and it does! We believe its a combination of estate fruit and 'neighbors', deep, dark, spicy, touch of pepper, it's as complete a Syarh as you'll find from America under $20...and that was the idea.

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On the palate: This unique Estate blend of 38% Pinot Gris, 35% Sauvignon Blanc and 27% Riesling incorporates notes of fresh passion fruit, crisp lime and wet concrete, putting the three varieties in harmony. The palate is lively fresh and fun, with passion fruit, citrus and more tropical tones. 

On the nose: Opens with aromas of anjou pear, white nectarines, and honeysuckle. A bouquet of spring flowers. 

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93 Points! The 2024 Cuvée Natalie...is a supercharged, aromatic wine that blossoms like a bouquet of fresh flowers in the glass. There's really attractive breadth and weight here. Tingly acids balance the wine's inner creaminess, revealing a measure of phenolic, almost tannic grip on the long finish. Very elegant and very distinctive. - Billy Norris, Vinous Media

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95 Points! Aged nine months in 100% neutral oak barrels, the 2023 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills offers crushed citrus, oyster shell, white flowers, and a kiss of salty minerality. It's medium-bodied, has remarkable purity, vibrant acidity, and a great finish. As I've written many times, this appellation release can stand toe to toe with any Chardonnay from Santa Barbara County. - Jeb Dunnuck

93 Points! Shows harmony and intensity, with focused flavors of tangerine, Meyer lemon, lime and pomelo that are lovely at the core, plus aromatic notes of lemongrass, lemon thyme and oregano. A fresh thread of acidity and details of Himalayan sea salt gain momentum on the finish. Drink now. - Wine Spectator

From the winery: This bottling is comprised Chardonnay from four vineyards within the Sta. Rita Hills AVA. 3D, Machado, Hapgood, and Perilune vineyards all contribute to the wine which exhibits a drive, richness and pedigree expressive of our special growing area coupled with the purity of fruit and firm structure which have been the trademark of Brewer-Clifton.

3D The primary emphasis of the predominantly sandy 10 acre vineyard is chardonnay, with five clones planted. In addition to chardonnay, there is a smaller field of pinot noir planted to Swan, Pommard and 667 clones.

MACHADO 15 acre parcel on the Machado family land is located adjacent to Clos Pepe and immediately behind the Kessler-Haak vineyard. The site is marked by a gorgeous rolling terrain with sandy clay loam soils.

HAPGOOD In slightly richer soil, the vineyard is planted to the Mount Eden selection of chardonnay. The elevated clay loam content results in larger volume and a more dense palate expression. Our most recent installation, planted in 2010, is this small 2 1/2 acre section of pinot noir planted to Merry Edwards clone.

Only neutral barrels are employed. We strive for whole cluster fermentation. We farm with a focus of ripening the stems alongside the fruit, allowing the cluster to be in harmony. Working with the stems allows for wines that are structured, earthy and balanced with our beautiful Sta. Rita Hills fruit.

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90 Points! The value-priced 2022 Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard comes from a site in the Santa Maria Valley and was brought up in 22% new French oak. Its translucent ruby hue is followed impressive notes of ripe cherry and strawberry fruits supported by pretty spice, flora, and leafy herb-like aromas and flavors. A wine that would hand many a Village Burgundy its ass, it's well worth buying and drinking over the coming 3-5 years. - Jeb Dunnuck

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95-97 Points! Not yet bottled, the 2018 Chardonnay Sanford & Benedict is still resting in 20% new French oak. Coming from a great site on the southern side of the Sta. Rita Hills, it offers a rocking bouquet of lemon curd, chamomile, toasted bread, spice, and a touch of crushed stone-like flinty minerality. Beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and elegant on the palate, it's another brilliant wine from this estate. - Jeb Dunnuck Learn More

94+ Points! From a site on the other (southern) side of the appellation, the 2020 Sanford & Benedict Vineyard Pinot Noir saw quite a bit more stems and was fermented with 40% stems and brought up in 20% new oak. It has a wonderful nose of ripe red and black currants as well as subtle woodsmoke, dried herbs, and forest floor. This carries to a pure, medium-bodied, balanced Pinot Noir with ripe tannins, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. It opens up nicely with time in the glass and will no doubt benefit from another year or two of bottle age. These latest releases from Gavin Chanin are pretty much straight-up brilliant across the board. - Jeb Dunnuck

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91-93 Points! The 2023 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is herbal and lifted on the nose, leading to a dark-fruited, silky palate that combines svelte richness with delicious freshness. As always, this is shaping up to be an overperforming overview of the Sta. Rita Hills from a uniquely pretty vintage.

Gavin Chanin entered the wine world through an eight-year stint at Au Bon Climat, quickly becoming protégé of the late Jim Clendenen. Chanin founded his namesake label in 2007, an era that allowed him to secure contracts for old-vine plantings from some of the region's most historic vineyards while newly established sites were more in vogue. Much of the straightforward practicality learned from Clendenen is employed in the cellar: the Chardonnays are whole-cluster pressed, barrel fermented and aged on lees for 14 months, then racked and returned to barrel for another four months before bottling. Heavy-toast François Frères barrels are the norm—favoring the Bertranges forest for Chardonnay and Vosges for Pinot Noir—and range from 10% to 50% new. Pinot Noir generally includes 30% to 50% whole clusters, with slightly higher percentages of new wood. Across the spectrum, the wines continually balance supple generosity with focus and refinement, delivered through a deceptively slender frame despite their richly flavored nature. - Matthew Luczy, robertparker.com

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95 Points! This is a cooler-climate Syrah done with the light touch of a Pinot Noir master. The nose is extremely peppery, reminiscent of a tour through a Tellicherry peppercorn factory, yet with tart cranberry, rust and soil elements as well. The palate is immensely grippy with more white pepper as well as charcoal and brisk red-fruit flavors. It will also cellar very well. - Wine Enthusiast

94 Points! The 2018 Syrah Schock Family Vineyard is Gavin Chanin's first Syrah, and it is fabulous. Deep and rich, but not at all heavy, the 2018 has so much to offer. Readers will have to be patient, as the 2018 is an embryonic wine at this stage. What comes across is the wine's exceptional balance and harmony. Time will be needed for Syrah aromatics to emerge. - Antonio Galloni, Vinous Media

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From the winery: Radian Vineyard is the most southern and westerly vineyard in the Sta Rita Hills AVA, and it is perhaps the coolest vineyard we work with, being battered by cool winds off the Pacific Ocean year round. In 2022 Radian Vineyard fully embodies the characteristics of the vintage demonstrating its extreme climate through its texture - rustic, deep, and brooding (for Pinot at least). However, Radian always shows off its finesse through the nose. Think of red fruits, florals, and cedar.

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98+ Points! The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, blended with 10% Cabernet Franc, has opened significantly since I tasted it in March of 2022. Deep ruby in color, its aromatics have become more layered, with ringing tones of violet complementing blueberry, black cherry and redcurrants, plus sparks of aniseed, prosciutto and desert herbs. The palate is plush and supple, offering alluring spicy accents and generous, yet never onerous, fruit. Refreshing bursts of acidity call you back to the glass, and it finishes with fantastic length. It blossoms considerably as it spends time in the glass, alluding to continued evolution in bottle. - Erin Brooks, robertparker.com

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