Greg Brewer is enthusiastic. He is enthusiastic about Brew-Clifton, the winery he founded in 1996, and about Santa Barbara, where Brewer-Clifton is located.

Brewer, a California native, began his professional relationship with Santa Barbara as a French instructor at the local branch of the University of California. At least that’s the legend. Truth is that Brewer has been making wine in the region since the early 1990s. After stints as a ‘cellar rat’ and an assistant winemaker, he and Steve Clifton founded their own brand in 1996. Sta. Rita Hills was not formally recognized as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) until 2001, but Clifton and Brewer knew that the coastal influenced terroir would be ideal for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay

Twenty-five years after the founding of Brewer-Clifton, and after nearly three decades in the wine industry, Greg Brewer was recognized by Wine Enthusiast Magazine as a “Winemaking Star”. He is the first Santa Barbara winemaker to be recognized as a ‘Star’.

In May 2017 Jackson Family Wines acquired Brewer-Clifton. Brewer continues as the winemaker.

The Brewer-Clifton Pinot Noirs are rich and flavorful, but the focus of this post is the Diatom Chardonnay.

Launched in 2005 and named for the fossilized plankton that is synonymous with Santa Barbara, this 100% Chardonnay is aged in stainless steel and seeks to highlight the grape rather than the winemaking process. They ferment at low temperatures and limit malolactic fermentation to focus on what the winery calls “the transparent nature of the Chardonnay”.

The wine is medium bodied and with elements of tropical fruit that extends from the nose through the medium finish. Bright acidity makes this ideal to simply sip or as an accompaniment to soft cheese and sliced appetizer meats.

The 2020 and 2021 versions of the Diatom earned almost universal scores in the mid-90s, the 2022 is also excellent. Priced at the low to mid-$20s, this Chardonnay is distributed nationally.

We first tasted the Brewer-Clifton Diatom Chardonnay 2021 at last year’s Fort Walton Beaches Food and Wine Festival. It was clear from Greg Brewer’s enthusiastic description that he loves this wine. You will as well.