Bottle: 2006 Brewer-Clifton “Seasmoke” Chardonnay
Varietal: Chardonnay
Winery: Brewer-Clifton
Location: Santa Rita Hills, California

Brewer-Clifton is a collaborate effort between two gifted winemakers: Greg Brewer (Melville, Diatom) and Steve Clifton (Ash Hollow, Palmina, Tritono).  The two up-and-comers joined together to start Brewer-Clifton in the early 1990s, and have had a ton of success.

Not many producers get the chance to source fruit from the prestigious Seasmoke vineyard.  Planted mostly with Pinot Noir, Brewer-Clifton gained access to three acres of Seasmoke Chardonnay.  With a little over 5,000 bottles produced, my expectations are at an all-time high for a domestic Chardonnay.

California Chardonnay, to me, always seems to lack the acids and minerality to make anything worthy of comparison to white Burgundy.  There are definite exceptions to the rule (Hanzell comes to mind).   The American palate has become so in love with over-oaked, buttery Chardonnays that wine makers have done their best to please the masses and not make wines that can compete on a global scale.  In my humble opinion, Santa Barbara has the greatest potential for French style Burgundian varietals, due to a long growing season that doesn’t get too hot (which will over-ripen the grapes).

At a retail price of around $70, this wine is nearly impossible to find outside of restaurants, so be prepared to pay around $110 if you do find a bottle at your favorite place to eat.  Sporting a whopping 16% alcohol, this wine is unbearably hot off the bat, but quickly dissipates, thankfully, to reveal a nose of lemon citrus, key lime pie, and green apples sautéed in clarified butter.  The acidity is lacking on the first glass, but just seems to be masked by alcohol.  By the second glass there are undeniable notes of flint, and pineapple, while the acids become more and more present.  It has now become clearer that this is a very serious Chardonnay.

On the palate, while still hot, the alcohol isn’t as noticeable as on the nose.  The acids seem to jump on the palate to almost create a spritzy sensation.  The mouthfeel is lightly viscous and oily, and the flavor profile seems a little more muted than I was hoping for.  Soft notes of pineapple, kiwi fruit, lemon, and starfruit are right up front on the palate with a finish of nutmeg, lemon-lime, and chalk… but the heat is too much to get around.

A little age on this wine will probably do it wonders as long as some of the alcohol burns off.  It really is a nice effort and for me it ranks high on the scales for California Chardonnay, but personally it doesn’t live up to the expectations for something so hard to come by and for something that carries the prestigious Seasmoke name.  If you are into hot, high alcohol wines, then this is for you.  If you are someone looking for a little more balance, then this might not be your bag.

A little food does this wine wonders, and I can see this wine going well with grilled salmon and lemon wedges, with a salad of grilled spinach, cucumbers, strawberries,  and almonds.  Along with focaccia crostini topped with creamy goat cheese.

Remember, that I am only one palate and this is a very respected producer and I feel that many people will disagree with me on my outcome.  I enjoyed the wine, but can think of others that would please me a little more.  I am fortunate enough to have been given another bottle of this, so I will give it some time and revisit, and I promise to write about my tasting. 
 
Salute!!

Kevin

Filed under: Wine :: Hardy @ 9:32 am
Tags: Brewer-Clifton, California, Kevin Gilman, review, Santa Rita Hills, Wine