Brewer-Clifton, Gnesa Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills

Drink up. Yellow in color, unsurprisingly. Some reductive notes on the nose, but the palate doesn't flesh out as much as it would in its prime window. This isn't as good as the last bottle I had in 2020. Good citrus notes, but a bit hollow on the midpalate and the finish is fading a bit. Enjoyable still, but past peak by a tad.

2013 vintage

An exceptionally good example of a CA chard at 10 years. One reviewer characterized the wine as having notes of carmelized lemon- spot on JD. Smooth, complex, elegant. Sadly the last of 2 bottles.

2013 vintage

This is ageing beautifully and still has life ahead. Young, vibrant,and has great acidity on the palate. Full bodied Chardonnay

2013 vintage

I shared the bottle with my wife. Initially, I loved the rich ripe luscious profile of lemon, tropical fruit and spicy oak. Over time, I believe the oak became more bothersome and pronounced, the last few sips, all I could taste is oak. The first glass was awesome, and that is the basis for my score.

2013 vintage

This was very good. Clear gold, showing its age in color. Striking nose with cheese rind (in a very good way), lemon juice, slight peach. Full bodied for a Chardonnay, jam-packed with lemon, gravel, peach skin and slight tarragon(?). Delicious and in no sign of declining.

2013 vintage

Day 1: Excellent wine again. Lemon, chalk, spice, pear and apple. Medium to long finish. Good acidity. Well made and should age another 3 years. 93 points Day 2: Very consistent with day 1. Day 3: Good fruit concentration, oak, vanilla, spice and chalk. Medium finish. Not as good as the pop and pour or day 2 but very enjoyable. 91 points Recommendation: This is an excellent wine and should age for another 3 plus years.

2013 vintage

Day 1: Excellent wine. Lemon, chalk, spice, apricot and oak. Nice oak barreling on this wine as not too much to deter the other flavors. Medium plus finish and good acidity. This would go well with shrimp cocktail or lobster. Nice Carmel element kicks in at about 20 seconds on the finish. 93 points Day 2: Skip Day 3: Oak, Carmel, spice, apple, apricot and lemon. Medium plus finish and good acidity. A very well made effort. 93 points Recommendation: …

2013 vintage

Beautiful preserved lemon at its core with some other tropical fruits. High alcohol but great balance.

2012 vintage

Really nice nose with tropical fruits, sweet lemon and a touch of gunpowder. Taste is medium+ bodied, with medium acidity and hints of oak, with balanced fruit. Long aftertaste. This is food-friendly and really enjoyable. Perfect now, drink not too chilled, let the flavours out.

2012 vintage

Dinner with Pamela and Donna in Princeton (Princeton, NJ) : I guess I am a hard grader. There were tasty fruit notes of citrus, tropical fruits, flowers, nuts, a little toast and some oak. We had this with grilled Atlantic salmon (not a great pairing), wild and long-grained rice with chicken broth and a touch of butter (a much better pairing) and apple salsa from Terhune Orchards (which brought out the fruit flavors and acidity and completely masked the oak). …

2012 vintage

Table 6 Birthday Dinner: P/2 hours prior to service, chilled. Clear, deep straw color. Nice big proper Chard nose. Clean, sharp, definitely CA, typical varietal flavor notes, citrus, slate, better as it warmed up and got more air. Med/full body/intensity. Nothing off. Tim's bottle

2012 vintage

I did not want to like this. Not sure exactly why, but was not looking forward to opening it. That said, it's not a bad wine. Actually, some nice features, including decent balance and a fair amount of restraint. There's nothing intersting here, it is a what you see is what you get-type wine, but it's a pretty good food wine, so felt it did its job. Served non-blind, thru 2021.

2012 vintage

Pleasant fruit (more tropical than green apple) and oak balance, but heavy on the palate and acidity can't lift it back up; 14.5% abv is more than this wine can support

2013 vintage

Nice balance of tropical fruits, nuttiness, and floral aromas. Papaya, Mango, and some apple on the fruit profile with a nice creamy texture with low to medium acidity and some nice almond accents with a touch of butteriness. A little spice on the finish with the toasted oak. It had a slight floral aroma the first time I tasted it of acacia but not at much this time.

2013 vintage

Starts off clean and crisp with some nice floral and citrus notes. Then is a bit of awkward chalk that comes through after mid palate that detracts from the wine but then fades. Nonetheless, still a very good wine.

2013 vintage

Medium-light maize color. This is very middle-of-the-road in both its aromatic and flavor profile. Oak is present but judiciously used; there is a range of citrus fruit flavors but little in the way of tertiary nuance. It lacks the concentration, power, and structure of white Burgundy which (fairly or unfairly) must be the benchmark for all Chardonnay. One could do far worse for the $25 I paid for this bottle, but there's not enough intrigue here to make me a …

2013 vintage

Big, powerful rich stuff. Nutty, smells a bit oxy.

2013 vintage

Sandy, white soil. Chard and sand lends itself to more crystalline and glacial wines. 'Bud break on Valentine's and sometimes pick in December.' A much more pitched nose than the 2014 SRH Chard. Bright melon tones. Gently gets into pineapple on the palate.

2013 vintage

Powerful and very expressive, the 2013 3-D Chardonnay is certainly a very nice acquaintance with tons of fresh minerals, subtle colza, citrus zest and white flowers. There is a slight whiff of butter scotch as well, adding to the veil of power. The palate adds to the overall experience in a very nice way with both balance and integration. A lovely length on the finish and a mouth coating sensation turn out to be the final impressions. There is enough …

2013 vintage

low acid fruit & light

2013 vintage

A superb and as usual very elegant effort from star winemaker Greg Brewer. The fruit component is very appealing with lemon and lime zest, colza, wet stone, sun warm elderflower and apricots. The palate is beautiful and continues to tell the same lovely story as the nose. Oak treatment is rather gentle, albeit visible, and just adds viscosity and a nice texture to the overall experience. This for sure is a lovely wine which makes a perfect companion to food!

2013 vintage

lemon, citrus/orange, chalk. Nice balance. High acid.

2012 vintage

nice, little high on the oak. Basic. Good

2013 vintage

Aroma: smoky, almost roasted fragrance. Spice and balsam. Palate: juicy white grape and white pit fruit flavors with good but restrained acidity. Some spicy and earthy notes. Moderate length.

2012 vintage

Blend of Brewer Clifton vineyards. Beautiful ripe fruit, expressive. Rich feel, glycerol. Toasty and leesy. Long finish.

2013 vintage

Fennel, floral, lemon. Medium body. Incredible mineralogy and length

2012 vintage

Tasting with Tenzing at FHE. Nice lighter tropical toasty aroma. Moderate robust with some yellow flowers, honey. Clean fresh finish. No cloying though some nice roast nuts. Lighter as a whole. Elegant.

2012 vintage

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Brewer-Clifton, Gnesa Chardonnay, Sta. Rita Hills

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