Jackson Family Wines buys Santa Barbara County winery

Jackson Family Wines of Santa Rosa announced Thursday that it has purchased Brewer-Clifton Winery in Lompoc, adding to its growing portfolio of small-lot Burgundian vintners.

The acquisition includes the winery, which produces about 11,000 cases annually, a tasting room and 60 acres of estate vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills region of Santa Barbara County. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

“I’ve long been impressed with the purity and intensity of these wines,” said Barbara Banke, chairman of Jackson Family Wines, in a statement. “Brewer-Clifton strengthens our portfolio of singular, site-specific chardonnay and pinot noir, while complementing our offerings from the nearby Santa Maria Valley.”

Jackson has had a long-standing history in Santa Barbara County through its Byron and Cambria brands and its vineyards there. The Brewer-Clifton purchase gives it a significant foothold in the Sta. Rita Hills area, a coastal area where the hills runs east to west to the ocean. The geography allows for a more temperate growing climate, with layers of fog and wind.

“They have had a very significant presence in Santa Barbara County,” said winemaker Greg Brewer, who founded the winery in 1996 with Steve Clifton. “From my perspective, it’s going to give a huge boost to the Sta. Rita Hills.”

Brewer will stay on as winemaker, a decision he said was made easier by his ?20-year friendship with winemaker Adam Lee. Lee sold his Siduri label to Jackson in 2015 and stayed on as its winemaker.

“It was mainly seeing how happy he was,” Brewer said of Lee. “Now more than ever, I can focus on things such as production. I can do the stuff I really like.”

You can reach Staff Writer Bill Swindell at 707-521-5223 or bill.swindell@pressdemocrat.com.