2023 Brewer Clifton - Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills (750ml)

Brewer-Clifton was founded in 1996 by Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton, who pooled about twelve months of savings to make an inaugural 240 cases inside the Santa Barbara Winery cellar. The pair set their sights on what would soon become the Sta. Rita Hills AVA, and their early wines earned an outsized reputation after Robert Parker called them the single greatest revelation of his 2001 tastings. By 2012 the label had shifted entirely to estate grown fruit, and in 2017 Jackson Family Wines acquired the brand, with Greg Brewer continuing on as winemaker and the project's guiding voice.

The 2023 appellation Chardonnay draws from four estate vineyards within Sta. Rita Hills: 3D, Machado, Hapgood, and Perilune, each contributing its own sandy or clay loam character to the final wine. In keeping with Brewer's long standing approach, the grapes are whole cluster pressed and the wine ages nine months in one hundred percent neutral oak with no lees stirring, letting the site speak rather than the barrel.

The glass offers lemon, kiwi, and orange blossom with a savory touch of sweet basil, moving into jasmine, lime, and ginger on the palate. Mineral and sea salt notes carry through a bright, citrus laced finish. Pair it with grilled halibut, burrata with citrus, or Dungeness crab cakes.