The 2016 Pinot Noir Machado is quite tight-knit after its very recent bottling, unwinding in the glass with notions of cherry, strawberry preserve, rose petal, cinnamon and orange rind—seemingly the most floral and high-toned of these 2016s. On the palate, the wine is medium-bodied, supple and fine-boned, without the power and richness of the Hapgood or 3D, but endowed with lovely energy.

Offers mouthfilling richness, with suave and well-articulated flavors of dried red fruit and savory spice. The minerally finish stretches out, revealing hints of soy.

2016 PINOT NOIR, 3D The nose is a pure black cherry accented with notes of raspberry and spice. The palate is well-focused and bright on entry with a saturated core of black fruits and a firm acid profile on the finish.

Vibrant and juicy, with concentrated raspberry, plum and cherry flavors that are filled with Asian spice and cedar notes. The long finish echoes with red fruit confit and savory accents.

Pale to medium ruby-purple in color, the 2015 Pinot Noir Acin has bright, lifted red cherry and raspberry notes with suggestions of Marmite toast, dried Mediterranean herbs and stewed tea. Medium-bodied with a lively acid backbone and chewy tannins defning the palate, it has loads of earthy nuances and ends on a sour cherry note.

Very woody and herbal aromas of wild thyme, sagebrush and bay leaf meet with rust, orange rinds, blistered tomato and crushed hibiscus on the spicy nose of this clonal selection. Wild red currants and cranberry-orange compote make for a sour tangy sip, with minty herbs in the background.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Machado is a classic Sta. Rita Hills built on exuberance and racy, voluptuous fruit. There is fabulous drive to this creamy, layered Pinot with layers of flavor and texture, not to mention tons of pure appeal.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Machado offers a perfumed, nuanced and savory bouquet of herbes de Provence, dried strawberries, dusty earth and spice to go with a seamless, elegant style on the palate that stays weightless and lively. It’s more restrained and reserved than the 459 cuvée (which is from the same vineyard), yet opens up with time in the glass, has a terrific mid-palate and is beautifully balanced. I like it today, but it should be at its best from 2019-2025+.

Pale ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir 3 D has a wonderfully fragrant perfume of lavender and potpourri over Bing cherry, wild strawberry and raspberry leaves notes with a touch of underbrush. Light to medium-bodied, there is a beautiful, quiet intensity in the mouth with a rugged backbone, finishing long and earthy.

A beautiful nose of lavender, cherry, blueberry and whiffs of conifer. The palate is delicate on entry with notes of lean forest floor and mint and full shadings of earth and cherry.

I loved the 2015 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills from Winemaker Greg Brewer, and while it’s half the price of most of the single vineyards, it’s certainly more than half the wine. Spices, sweet red fruits, dried earth and hints of forest floor all emerge from this medium-bodied, supple, beautifully layered Pinot Noir that shows the seamless, weightless style of the vintage beautifully.

The Brewer-Clifton pinot is a mix of three estate vineyard sites within the Sta. Rita Hills AVA: 3D, Machado and Acin. The style is intense and rich from a European point of view, but I might say restrained from a New World view. The nose is a mix of red fruit scents with a strong tea leaf undercurrent marked with a dusting of dried herbs. Think earthy/forest floor, raspberries cherries and pomegranate. AT B-C they employ neutral oak to better let the site show through. The use of stems is an important part of the structure and earthy characters of the Sta. Rita Hills fruit. The clones are a blend of Swan, Pommard, 667, 828, and the Merry Edwards clone. Delicious stuff.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara The earliest vintage of Greg’s career to date (harvest dates in California continue to be earlier and earlier), the 2014 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is also beautiful. Smoked herbs, black cherries, currants and earthy notes give way to a classic, textured, beautifully balanced and lengthy Pinot Noir that will drink nicely for another decade.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara Also from a slightly cooler vintage for the region, the 2009 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is still going beautifully. A hybrid between the '07 and '08, it offers lots of black cherries, incense, and leafy herbs, with plenty of purity and precision in its aromatics. However, it shows more fruit and depth on the palate. It too is a beautifully complex wine that's drinking great today.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara From a great vintage for the entire Central Coast, the 2007 Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills is beautiful and drinking at point. Kirsch, olive, spice, forest floor and gamey notes all emerge from this supple, elegant, mature yet still youthful wine. It’s not going to get better but will certainly keep for another 4-6 years.

Precise and powerful, with focused minerality and intense flavors of crunchy green apple, Key lime and nectarine. Hints of ripe mango show on the finish.

2016 CHARDONNAY, HAPGOOD The color is golden amber followed by a massive nose of expressive caramel, coconut and resinous lemon. The palate is a dry, toasted fruit on entry with the core offering lean, crisp and focused white tree fruits.

Santa Barbara Dreamin'…Part Two The 2016 Chardonnay 3-D deftly balances a rich expression of fruit with brighter notes that confer energy. Lemon confit, white flowers and mint all develop effortlessly in the glass. Super-expressive and inviting in the glass, the 2016 finishes with substantial texture and creaminess. All the elements are impeccably balanced.

BREWER CLIFTON 2016 CHARDONNAY The nose is an intense, concentrated lemon, pear and supple apple. The palate is a rich, creamy dryness with notes of lemon zest in the core, finishing with solid acidity.

This light yellow colored Chardonnay from Brewer-Clifton was the clear winner in our recent Blind Tasting. It opens with an appealing lemon and apple bouquet with a hint of banana. On the palate, this wine is medium to full bodied, luscious, very smooth and nicely balanced. The flavor profile is a delicious light lemon and almond blend with notes gentle minerality and a hint of oak. The finish is dry and its flavors linger for a while before fading away nicely. We would suggest pairing this gem with chicken francese or fettucine alfredo.

Refined and powerful, with concentrated flavors of green apple, ripe citrus and mineral that are deftly supported by fresh acidity. Hints of dried savory herbs show on the finish.

The 2015 Chardonnay (Sta. Rita Hills) is a gorgeous appellation-level wine. Apricot pit, peach, chamomile and lightly honeyed notes nicely fill out the wine's ample frame. A hint of reduction on the finish adds a layer of nuance, but without overpowering the wine. This is a superb showing from Brewer-Clifton's largest-production Chardonnay.

The 2015 Chardonnay is reared in a neutral barrel, with no malolactic fermentation. It has a full-on expressive nose of fresh grapefruit, white peaches and clotted cream with hints of fresh ginger and nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, the spicy citrus fruit explodes in the mouth with tons of energy and a racy backbone, finishing long and savory.

Featuring lithe buttery aromas, this offers powerful and well-defined flavors of green apple, melon and Bosc pear. Spicy midpalate, with a finish that lingers with lemon curd and tropical hints.

A Spotlight on Santa Barbara Terrific (and classic) notes of ripe apples, spice, brioche, and honeysuckle all emerge from the 2011 Chardonnay Sta. Rita Hills, which picked up an alluring chalky minerality as it sat in the glass. Its medium body, great mid-palate, bright acidity and clean finish all making for a terrific Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay that’s going to evolve gracefully for at least a decade.