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TIME VISITED: 07/22/2017, 4:00:00 PM
We got to the tasting room towards the end of the day, but it was still pretty busy. Teresa was our wine host, and took great care of us. They were offering two different tasting flights, each comprised of five different wines, from various vineyards and vintages; it was a lot of wine, so we opted to share one of each. Us being huge fans of Greg Brewer’s winemaking skills, (we first met Greg back when he
Brewer-Clifton-
It was our first time ever in the Lompoc Wine Ghetto! Can you believe that?! So many people have talked to us about it, saying we had to go check it out, but somehow it just never worked out with our scheduling. The Lompoc Wine Ghetto is a community of world-class, small production tasting rooms in an industrial area of Santa Barbara County. Although, technically, Brewer-Clifton is considered more Lompoc than the Wine Ghetto, this was our first stop. You can find out more about the Wine Ghetto and their other tasting rooms here.
What we tasted:
2015 Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills
2012 Chardonnay, Acin Vineyard
2011 Chardonnay, 3-D Vineyard
2014 Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills
2014 Pinot Noir, Hapgood Vineyard
2013 Chardonnay, Gnesa Vineyard
2009 Chardonnay, Mount Carmel Vineyard
2014 Pinot Noir, Machado Vineyard
2013 Pinot Noir, Acin Vineyard
2011 Pinot Noir, 3-D Vineyard
2010 Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay #bonuspour
art pieces, track lighting, and one wall completely lined with racks of Brewer-Clifton wines.
Very modern, and very clean.... just like their wines. We definitely recommend checking them out!
We even were offered a couple of "bonus pours," including one of Diatom, which is another label of Greg's that is solely Chardonnays. For Diatom, Greg uses stainless steel vessels, inhibits malolactic fermentation, and ages the wine on its lees. He does this to showcase these Chardonnays as close to their purest form, and to highlight the uniqueness of the Santa Rita Hills grapes. Greg states that these wines are made with "as little disturbance, distraction or interference as possible," and that the result is that the wines "have a sense of transparency and a purity of intent and purpose.”
Brewer-Clifton’s wines are 100% estate grown in the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. They make only Pinot Noir and Chardonnays, but they make them WELL! As you’ll see below, there have several options, as they are offered by the different specific vineyards, each which has its own unique microclimate and soil. In general, Sta. Rita Hills in itself is such a unique area, as it gets lots of sun, but still gets the continuous cool winds from the ocean, and cool fog in the morning. Pinot and Chardonnay grapes LOVE this combination and thrive in these conditions.
2016 Diatom Chardonnay, Hilliard Bruce Vineyard #bonuspour
What we bought:
2013 Pinot Noir, Acin Vineyard
2016 Diatom Chardonnay, Hilliard Bruce Vineyard
was Melville's winemaker) we were really looking forward to this tasting. We were not disappointed!
The tasting room has a good sized, L-shaped, sit down bar, and is decorated with cool