# 2020 Greg Brewer was named Winemaker of the Year by the Wine Enthusiast for their annual Wine Star Awards.
 
97-Points by Wine Enthusiast.
Bay leaf and hints of damp cannabis add a fascinating terpene kick to the underripe black raspberry aromas that lead the nose on this bottling. A vibrant, refreshing acidity powers the plush, thirst-quenching palate, where cherry and strawberry flavors are cut by peppery herbs. It's both hedonistic and intellectual.
 
The Hapgood Vineyard is located across the road from our Machado vineyard and is situated at the end of Hapgood Road, in the heart of Sta. Rita Hills. In slightly richer soil, the vineyard is planted to the Mount Eden selection of Pinot Noir. The elevated clay loam content results in larger volume and a more dense palate expression. Our most recent installation, planted in 2010, is this small 2-1/2 acre section of pinot noir planted to Merry Edwards clone.
 
Brewer-Clifton is one of the top producers of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in the Sta. Rita Hills in Santa Barbara County, California. Established in 1996 by Greg Brewer and Steve Clifton, its single-vineyard wines have received high praise in the press. 
Steve Clifton was a surfer and rock singer in San Diego before making his way to Santa Barbara County where he worked up the ranks at several local wineries. Greg Brewer was a French professor at the University of California at Santa Barbara before going into winemaking.
Both wanted to make single-vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines (which weren't common on the Central Coast at the time). They combined their savings and started Brewer-Clifton, whose winery is situated in Lompoc, roughly 160 miles (260km) west of Los Angeles.
Both have other projects: Clifton has the label Palmina, which focuses on Italian varieties and is also based in Lompoc, while Brewer (who was the winemaker at Melville Vineyards) also produces the diatom and Ex Post Facto labels. Brewer-Clifton, diatom and Ex Post Facto are all owned by Jackson Family Wines, who puchased the operation in 2017.
The Sta. Rita Hills benefits from a maritime influence, keeping the vineyards cool and promoting a long growing season. The complexity derived from the long hang-time lends itself to a liberal use of oak – Brewer-Clifton employs French barriques from Sirugue in Burgundy.
The resulting wines are full-bodied examples of California Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, which often score in the 90's with several critics. Brewer-Clifton uses estate-grown fruit from five vineyard sites in the Sta Rita Hills: Gnesa, Machado, 3-D, Hapgood and Acin.
Single-site Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines are produced from each vineyard, and a méthode traditionnelle sparkling wine is made from fruit from the 3-D vineyard.
In 2014, the winery's 2012 vintage of its Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir received the distinction of being named #8 in Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines while in 2020, Brewer was named Wine Enthusiast magazine's Winemaker of the Year