The 2011 Pinot Noir Mount Carmel is a spectacular effort that delivers beautiful raspberry, strawberry, sappy underbrush, sea breeze and spice to go with a medium-bodied, rich and elegant palate. Knockout stuff that’s perfectly balanced and rich, without ever losing any focus or precision, it will evolve for 4-5 years and drink nicely through 2026. Drink now-2026. A benchmark estate in the Santa Rita Hills, these first rate efforts are made by Steve Clifton and Greg Brewer. The wines are all handled identically in the cellar, so what you get is exactly what the vineyard delivers. In addition, this estate is moving to only estate-farmed vineyards, with Gnesa, Machado, 3-D and Hapgood being the only single-vineyard releases going forward. These 2011s are fantastic and should not be missed! Tel. (805) 735-9184; www.brewerclifton.com

The 2010 Pinot Noir Mount Carmel is gorgeous. A burst of dark red fruit makes a positive first impression, but everything about the 2010 speaks of balance. The use of whole clusters is not as evident here as elsewhere. Layers of flavors continue to flesh out on the broad-shouldered frame. The Mt. Carmel is a wine of exceptional balance and pure pedigree. It is easily one of the highlights among the new releases. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. Steve Clifton describes the 2010 harvest as 2-3 weeks later than normal. The Pinots were brought in during the second and third weeks of September, in between the heat spikes, while the Chardonnays were harvested later, once temperatures cooled off . The 2010s are beautiful, transparent wines that capture the essence of the vintage and their respective sites. The single-vineyard wines can be hard to track down, but to tell the truth, I am increasingly drawn to the straight appellation Chardonnay and Pinot, as they are less expensive, relatively easy to find and full of personality. Tel. (805) 735-9184; www.brewerclifton.com

The 2009 Pinot Noir Mount Carmel impresses for its generous, radiant personality. Constantly changing in the glass, it shows off a multi-dimensional expression of dark raspberries, crushed flowers, licorice and spices. I especially like the way this blossoms through the mid-palate and onto the finish. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2019. No one has done more to carry the banner for the Santa Rita Hills than Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton. Both together at Brewer-Clifton and separately in their other projects, Brewer and Clifton consistently deliver delicious wines that are also deeply thought provoking with regards to the potential these vineyard sites hold. The Pinots in particular are compelling. The 2009 Pinots saw a seven day cold soak and fermentations that lasted a total of 35-40 days, with 100% stems. Tel. (805) 735-9184; Fax (805) 735-9185; www.brewerclifton.com