Brewer Clifton Machado Pinot Noir 2022

An intense, linear wine. So bright, tangy and cherry-like, with great acidity lifting raspberry, cranberry, sage, chalk and rooibos tea flavors. Made with 100% whole clusters. Drink or hold.

Offers a beautiful, steady stream of blood orange, bitter cherry and raspberry coulis notes stitched finely with subtle details of rooibos tea, singed sandalwood, dried anise and savory. Feels pinpoint in focus, with serious length on the finish thanks to its nicely buried mineral tension. Drink now through 2038. 586 cases made.

Snappy, exuberant aromas of black raspberry and cherry draw the nose into this bottling, and then lines of cinnamon and lemon peel add elegance to the lush core. The palate is zesty, candied and refreshing, carrying cherry, strawberry, red spice and white pepper into a long-lasting finish.

The 2015 Pinot Noir Machado offers a perfumed, nuanced and savory bouquet of herbes de Provence, dried strawberries, dusty earth and spice to go with a seamless, elegant style on the palate that stays weightless and lively. It’s more restrained and reserved than the 459 cuvee (which is from the same vineyard), yet opens up with time in the glass, has a terrific mid-palate and is beautifully balanced. I like it today, but it should be at its best from 2019-2025+. (Aug 2017)

The most poised and refined Pinot Noir of the range, the 2022 Pinot Noir Machado leads with red licorice, black cherry compote and orange peel aromas. The palate is rich and layered yet pleasantly lifted by the inclusion of whole clusters, finishing with a lovely balance between fragrant, lifted fruits and faintly drying tannins.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Machado is a pretty wine with understated density and terrific balance. Dark red/purplish fruit, lavender, rose petal, mint, spice and blood orange fill out the layers. Machado is the most reticent of the vineyard designates. It will be interesting to see what time brings here.