The 2009 Pinot Noir Melville reveals a powerful fleshy personality close in style to the Cargasacchi. It shows marvelous density and a brooding inner darkness that is hard to fully capture with words. The wine turns a bit more radiant on the expressive finish. This parcel at Melville is planted with the 114 and 115 clones 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

The most impressive Pinot Noir for immediate drinking (but certainly capable of lasting a decade as well) is the 2006 Pinot Noir Melville. Sweet floral notes intermixed with black raspberry, black cherry, damp earth, and roasted herbs are followed by a wine with terrific purity, a layered, full-bodied mouthfeel, and sweet tannin (the ripest tannins of any of these Pinots). This wine should drink very well young as well as much older. All of the 2006 Pinots from Brewer-Clifton tend to emphasize the more spicy clove, allspice, underbrush, and root vegetable characteristics of Pinot Noir more than pure raspberry, black cherry, or black currant fruit. Not that they don’t have fruit, but it seems this vintage has been given a very overt spiciness, so readers who don’t like that might want to steer clear of the following Pinots. Some of the longest-lived Chardonnays being made in California these days come from the dynamic duo of Steve Clifton and Greg Brewer. The wines only see about 20-25% new oak and are bottled without fining or filtration. While their alcohols are relatively high, the acid levels are as well, and I have never had a Chardonnay from them that hasn’t been still very vibrant at 6-7 years of age, and they never taste hot.Tel. (805) 735-9184