2007 Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noir Zotovich

The medium dark ruby-hued 2007 Pinot Noir Zotovich exhibits earthy, underbrush, plum, sweet cherry, currant, smoke, roasted herb, and spice box notes. Tight but promising, and also extremely Burgundian in style, it needs more coaxing than the generic bottling, but it promises to last for 10+ years. Two brilliant young winemakers, Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton, are symbolic of both the present and future of California high quality wine production. Seemingly coming out of nowhere, with their own personal visions of wine quality formed by French and Italian experiences as well as their belief in the cool climate sites of Santa Rita Hills, they have proven time and time again that remarkable wines can emerge from this relatively new viticultural region. Their Chardonnays, which go through full malolactic fermentation, see very little new oak (usually one-third, but that has been declining in every vintage), and they are moving in the direction of almost 100% neutral or older wood casks. The wines are not fined or filtered, have high alcohols, and also possess extraordinary freshness and acidity because of their terroirs. When I visited this year, Brewer and Clifton surprised me by opening a 1996 Chardonnay Sweeney Canyon, a 13-year old California Chardonnay that was as young and vibrant as any two or three-year old white Burgundy. It remains a subtle white wine with great complexity, freshness, and not a trace of oxidation or fatigue. I rated it 94 points, and it seemed to get even better over the course of the several hours I spent with them. This should not have surprised me as the first wines I purchased from Brewer-Clifton were the 2000 Chardonnays, which are as vibrant as they were when I took delivery of them upon release.There are five Chardonnays being produced at this estate, none of them large productions, with most of the single vineyard cuvees ranging between 1,500 and 5,800 bottles. The Pinot Noirs see no more than one-third new oak, and Brewer-Clifton continues to advocate the use of 100% stems, which gives the wines a backward, earthy character early in life. However, based on how older vintages have matured, these wines have incredibly long lives, and may come closest to the brilliant Pinot Noirs made by Calera in the late eighties (although the terroirs are completely different). Brewer-Clifton’s 2007 Pinots represent another top-notch vintage for this estate. All of the wines are very young and primary, but are bursting with potential. Tel. (805) 735-9184; Fax (805) 735-9185