Brewer-Clifton 2023 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills

The Brewer‑Clifton 2023 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir opens with a quiet refrain: delicate pomegranate and white tea rise first, then fold into bright raspberry and the surprise note of dried fig. Seasoned with a whisper of white truffle, it feels less like a performance and more like a place breathing itself into the glass.

On the palate, the wine expands gently—lush in texture, precise in tension. The fruit remains true—no overt ripeness, just layered clarity—before tapering into a finish shaped by saline minerality and fine-grained tannin. The structure comes forward with assurance, not assertion.

What gives it that balance is where it comes from. This cuvée draws from four vineyards—3D, Machado, Hapgood, and Perilune—each with its own landscape signature: sea-kissed sands, rolling clay loams, rocky elevation, and serene sun exposure. Together, they form a chorus of St. Rita Hills’ diversity and discipline.

The winemaking echoes that vision. Brewer‑Clifton leans into whole-cluster fermentation and neutral barrels, not new oak. They ripen stems alongside fruit to build structure from the vineyard’s voice—not the cellar’s. Their aim isn’t embellishment, but coherence.

This Pinot doesn’t arrive to impress; it arrives to linger. Pour it with herb-dusted duck, mushroom risotto, or just sit beside it when the room softens and thoughts slow. It stays, softly sure.

Brewer-Clifton 2023 Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir—fog in form, depth in detail, cool clarity carried through every sip.