Winemaker Notes
Hildegard has a texture, complexity, and distinctiveness that cannot be found in a single white wine varietal. The 2020 is rich yet zesty, starting with aromas of lemon, baked apricot, cream and honeysuckle on the nose. The palate is layered in hazelnut, lemon confit and unabashed oak flavors, proving creamy in texture yet blasted with persistent acidity.
Hildegard is considered our most food friendly white wine. While it pairs heavenly with many dishes, this wine is ideal for a Chantrelle mushroom risotto. It also works well with rich, delicate seafood, but has the structure to hold its own well to oily fish dishes as well.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This Burgundian-minded blend of 50% Pinot Gris, 45% Pinot Blanc and 5% Aligote is exciting to try each vintage. This year's is rich yet zesty, starting with aggressive aromas of lemon juice, baked apricot, cream and toast on the nose. The palate is layered in hazelnut, lemon confit and unabashed oak flavors, proving creamy in texture yet blasted with persistent acidity.
Editors' Choice -
Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 50% Pinot Gris, 45% Pinot Blanc, and the rest Aligoté, the 2020 Hildegard Estate White Blend has a richer yet still vibrant bouquet of stone fruits, toasted bread, honeysuckle, and spice. This carries to a medium-bodied, beautifully balanced, elegant white with notable richness as well as freshness and balance. It's a beautiful white.
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.