Brilliant Brewer-Clifton Machado Pinot Noir

Greg Brewer is the winemaker and co-founder of perennially high-scoring Pinot Noir and Chardonnay producer Brewer-Clifton. His instinctual drive to preserve the vineyard and winery’s natural elements like puzzle pieces that hold their place and value in one specific union led to its success.

Greg was a French instructor at UC Santa Barbara when he became entranced with wine. He began vinification training in ’91 at the Santa Barbara Winery, which led him to map and define the Santa Rita Hills AVA officiated in 1997.

Greg began sourcing fruit from the Machado family in 2008, their vineyard strategically located adjacent to Clos Pepe and immediately behind the Kessler-Haak rolling hills of sandy loam soils.

The Brewer-Clifton team looks for full maturity of the stems and the grapes for a unique whole cluster fermentation that can be compared to roasting meat on the bone, providing more complex flavors and structure in the finished product that’s already scored multiple 95-97 Points.

From Jeb Dunnuck: “The 2018 Pinot Noir Machado is pure class, showing beautiful purity of fruit as well as classic Sta. Rita Hills complexity and spice. Lots of raspberry, strawberry, spring flowers, forest floor, spice, and just a touch of seaside-like iodine all emerge from the glass. It’s a wonderfully complete, balanced, seamless 2018 that does everything right.”
97 Points -Jeb Dunnuck

From Wine Enthusiast: “Joyous and aromatically arresting scents of creamy black cherry, black raspberry, licorice and black cardamom grab hold of the nose and don’t waver on this bottling. Deep and dark fruit flavors mix with hints of dank herb, tarragon and even cannabis on the palate, where the acidity is penetrating and persistent.” 96 Points -Matt Kettmann

From Wine Spectator: “The 2018 Pinot Noir Machado has a medium ruby color and deep, layered aromas of pure violet, garrigue, laurel, aniseed and forest floor, seamlessly accenting a core of black and red berries. The palate is medium-bodied with loads of lift and silkiness, elegantly fruited and with a long, ethereal finish…”
95 Points –Kim Marcus

From The Wine Advocate: “Complex, with lithe minerality and rich savoriness to the concentrated raspberry, red plum and currant flavors, backed by crunchy acidity. Delicate and well-spiced on the pure-tasting finish. Drink now through 2026.”
95 Points -Erin Brooks