Winemaker Notes
This distinctive blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc and Aligoté is barrel fermented and gets extra barrel and bottle time. The barrels for this program are all new Francois Frères French oak. Combining a unique blend with long term barrel aging made something special. The lovely aroma of vanillin and hazelnuts from the oak and the mouth-coating richness makes for a wine that seems like a top-notch Chardonnay. The fruit profile is more melony than Chardonnay and the aromas are more flowery than Chardonnay. Food matches that work with Chardonnay would work fine with Hildegard.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2017 Hildegard checks in as a barrel-fermented blend of 50% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc, and 10% Aligote that was aged 18 months in new French oak. If reveals a light gold color as well as a terrific bouquet of orchard fruits, toasted bread, spice, honeysuckle, and flowers. With good richness, medium-body, and terrific balance, it has bright acidity yet still comes across as rich and textured. Blind I'd have guessed Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 50% Pinot Gris, 40% Pinot Blanc and 10% Aligote, the 2017 Hildegard has a fresh nose of quince, white blossoms, hay bale and soft nutty scents plus sliced green pear and baker's yeast. Medium-bodied, it has a good core of fruits and is broad and textured, finishing long.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
A lesser-known but elite AVA within the larger Santa Barbara district, the Santa Maria Valley AVA runs precisely west to east starting near the coast. The valley funnels cool, Pacific Ocean air to the vineyards more inland, allowing grapes a longer hang time to ripen evenly and achieve their full potential by harvest time. Combined with minimal rainfall, consistent warm sunshine, and well-drained soils, it is an ideal environment for grape growing.
Many of the wineries here are small and highly respected, having established a reputation in the 1970s and 80s for producing excellent Central Coast wines like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. More recently, Syrah has also proven quite successful in the region. Many vineyards are owned by growers who sell their grapes to other wineries, so it is common to see the same vineyard name on bottlings from different wineries. Bien Nacido Vineyard is perhaps the best-known and most prestigious.