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1997 Brewer-Clifton Marcella’s chardonnay Santa Maria Valley
Lovely, fresh, floral nose of attractive lemon drop, peach blossom, green apple and apple jam scents over a gentle background of flint and vanilla. Creamy, zesty, flavorful, yet delicate in texture, delivering well focused mineral, apple and lemon flavors. Long, supple and gently refreshing, showing and elegant purity of fruit supported by drying acid and mineral elements in the manner of a fine French Chablis. 48 cases produced
  Don Gillette, Napa Valley Winery Exchange
1997 Brewer-Clifton Sweeney Canyon chardonnay Santa Ynez Valley
Ripe, forthright, concentrated nose of very youthful apple jam, golden fig, lemon and baking spices scents of textbook accuracy. Zesty, gently crisp and quite long, with delicious apple, lime, lemon, mineral and vanilla flavors. As zesty as a fine Chablis, but all California in it fruit accents. Still just a bit green at this point and at hear a fish wine, it will evolve over the next three years and prove a famous companion to Coquille St. Jacques. 95 cases produced.
  Don Gillette, Napa Valley Winery Exchange
1997 Brewer-Clifton Katherine’s chardonnay Santa Maria Valley
Last year we debuted the first vintage of the what could be Santa Barbara County’s next Burgundian-variety superstar, Brewer-Clifton. They’ve got the drill down pat: sorting cluster-by-cluster in the vineyard, then another sorting at a table de tri as the grapes come into the winery, whole-cluster pressing, no pumping, 100% malo-lactic, etc. This first wine is from Cambria Winery’s “Katherine’s” plot. There’s beautiful peachy fruit on the attack, which broadens to a gentle buttercream quality in the mid-palate. Buttressed by bracing acidity, this will be at its best starting in about a year or so. 60 cases produced.
  David Russell, Wine Cask
1997 Brewer-Clifton Julia’s pinot noir Santa Maria Valley
Exotic and appealingly ripe nose of spiced plum. Strawberry, dried orange, violet, baking spices and dried herbs and flowers. Crisp, very youthful, but complex and distinctive in character, with evolving strawberry and mineral elements dominating herbal tones on the palate. Long, decidedly crisp, a bit tannic and still youthfully undeveloped. This should evolve handsomely over the next few years to produce a dramatic and unique pinot of fine quality. 59 cases produced.
  Don Gillette, Napa Valley Winery Exchange
1997 Brewer-Clifton Santa Maria Hills pinot noir Santa Maria Valley
Smoky, earthy, citric, slightly herbal nose of cranberry, tea berry, rose and mineral aromas, leaving a firm and youthful impression. Medium bodied and attractively earthy, it shows more fruit development on the palate than the nose implies, delivering Bing cherry, cranberry and smoke over more subdued mineral accents. Quite long, but balanced toward crispness, it should serve best with duck, lamb or other fatty meats. 72 cases produced.
  Don Gillette, Napa Valley Winery Exchange