Winemaker Notes
Exuberant fruit. Black, red, and green. Absolutely leaps out of the glass. Noticeably a darker-fruit version from Bentrock vineyard, with more bass and density. Blackberries right off the bush. Solid core of fruit. Like its Bentrock Chardonnay sibling, it never loses speed. Sweet and consistent push of plush fruit on the attack. So full and coating. Touch of savory saltiness, alongside sous bois and black cherry. Pencil shavings and pink peppercorns. Inner perfume of lavender. Classic notes of Bentrock vineyard blood orange and an ultra-fine, dusty structure. The most powerful and expressive Bentrock Pinot Noir to date, no doubt.
Professional Ratings
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Vinous
The 2022 Pinot Noir Bentrock, mostly Calera clone, is exceptional. Dark and vivid, with tremendous textural drive, the 2022 dazzles from start to finish. Dark blue/purplish fruit, lavender, spice, menthol and licorice all race across the palate.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2022 Pinot Noir Bentrock Vineyard offers a riper nose of Bing cherries, candied framboise, sappy spring flowers, spice, and a kiss of classy oak. It's gorgeously textured, medium to full-bodied, has a pure, seamless mouthfeel, beautiful tannins, and a vibrant spine of acidity. It shows the ripe style of the vintage, yet it's pure, precise, and focused, with the class to evolve for 10-15 years.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
One of the more concentrated Pinot Noirs from the vintage, the 2022 Pinot Noir Bentrock Vineyard leaps from the glass with a spice-driven bouquet accented with hibiscus and herbal notes bound by an opaque core of dark fruits. The palate is graceful and seamless despite its weighty frame, concluding with a long, refined yet sturdy finish framed with gently chewy tannins. As ever, this is derived from destemmed Calera clones, which contribute to its considerable intensity.
Wines defined by place, style and time. In the southwest corner of Sta. Rita Hills AVA lies a rugged, windswept, coastal vineyard, called The Hilt Estate; estate grower producer of stunning Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reflective of this dynamic corner of California.
Pushing the limits; in the farthest southwest reach of the Sta. Rita Hills AVA is home to Radian & Bentrock Vineyards, these vineyards dictate The Hilt style.
The numerous microclimates and unique soils provide a multilayered backdrop to create 3 unique expressions: Estate, The Guards, and Single Vineyards.
In 2014, Matt Dees, Ruben Solorzano & team took on operation and farming of Radian and Bentrock Vineyards and shifted to precise sustainable & organic farming to transform and revitalize the soil.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A superior source of California Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Sta. Rita Hills is the coolest, westernmost sub-region of the larger Santa Ynez Valley appellation within Santa Barbara County. This relatively new AVA is unquestionably one to keep an eye on.
The climate of Sta. Rita Hills is a natural match for Chardonnay and Pinot noir, thanks to the crisp ocean breezes and well-drained, limestone-rich calcareous soil. Here, grapes ripen just enough, while retaining brisk acidity and harmonious balance.