What I’m drinking now: Greg Brewer of Brewer-Clifton

Greg Brewer is a triple threat. He’s partners with Steve Clifton in Brewer-Clifton, makes wine under his own diatom label and is also winemaker at Melville Winery. And he’s also a former French professor.

Here’s what he’s drinking now:

“Last Friday evening, I had the pleasure of dining at Anchor Woodfire Kitchen on lower State Street in Santa Barbara. The energy was great, the food was fabulous and I was more than impressed by the carefully selected and very fairly priced wine list.

Without any hesitation, my girlfriend and I ordered a bottle of 2009 The Hilt Pinot Noir “The Old Guard.� The Hilt is a relatively new Chardonnay and Pinot Noir-focused project from the folks at Jonata. Matt Dees, who is in charge of wine production, is perhaps the most open-minded, kind, intelligent and thoughtful colleague I have anywhere in the world. Not surprisingly, the wine’s voice mirrored that of Matt and was an incredible expression of older Pinot Noir sites in our region (hence the name). The wine was beautifully pure and cohesive, with deep power humbly channeled through the subtle sex appeal of well-farmed and deftly crafted Pinot.

As easy as it would have been to finish the bottle (and order another!), it only seemed appropriate to leave an adequate amount for the staff to explore after service, which we elected to do. Some secrets are just too good to keep to yourself.�

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