Brewer-Clifton Machado Sta. Rita Pinot Noir 2021 – 750ml Southern Wine & Spirits

99pts Jeb Dunnuck

Lastly, the 2021 Pinot Noir Machado is similarly darker ruby and translucently hued and offers up a smorgasbord-like array of red and black berries, smoked herbs, underbrush, and gamey, foresty, marine-like nuances. Flawlessly balanced, deep, rich, and textured, it has an awesome mid-palate, integrated tannins, and heavenly finish. This incredible Pinot Noir stopped me in my tracks and might be the finest I’ve tasted from Brewer. It can be drunk any time over the coming 10-15 years.

95pts Wine Enthusiast

Greg Brewer’s wines manage to reflect both a winemaking style and a specific site at the same time. In this version, aromas of sour cherry, pepper and herbs lead into a palate loaded with raspberry jellies and more minty herbs, capturing the wind-cooled sunshine and surrounding nature with glee.

95pts Wine Spectator

This sports some gorgeous fruit, with damson plum, griotte and blood orange pâte de fruit driving along a silky, refined structure, while rooibos tea, sandalwood, singed anise and savory details underscore the long, lilting finish. Drink now through 2031.

Winery Notes

Looking to secure a mirror-image sister ranch to our 3D Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, we began working with the Machado family in the winter of 2008. Our 15 acre parcel on their land is located adjacent to Clos Pepe and immediately behind the Kessler-Haak Vineyard. The site is marked by a gorgeous rolling terrain with sandy loam soils.

At Machado, the majority of the planting is dedicated to pinot noir with equal amounts of such selections as Pommard, Merry Edwards, Mount Eden, and 459. In addition to pinot noir, we also planted a small, two-acre plot in the sandiest portion of the field to the Sweeney Canyon selection of Chardonnay.

Aroma: Cherry, Rhubarb, Mint

Flavor: Blackberry, Boysenberry, Allspice

Texture: Black Tea, Silt

Winery Description

Brewer-Clifton believes the geographic, geologic and climatic uniqueness of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation provides an ideal place to grow chardonnay and pinot noir grapes of intensity, complexity and specificity. This is why Founder and Winemaker Greg Brewer, Wine Enthusiast’s 2020 Winemaker of the Year, has dedicated his life to this region. Within this appellation, each vineyard carries its own imprint. The Brewer-Clifton mission and passion is to present wines that convey the characteristics inherent to each of these sites, with uncompromising quality.

Brewer–Clifton has the utmost respect for nature. They believe when working with a product of nature, it is necessary to maintain an awareness of the elements and phenomena sometimes beyond their understanding and control. As such, any intervention in the natural evolution of the product must be carried out with the utmost attentiveness and care.