Winemaker Notes
Aromatically the wine has notes of fresh white peaches, juicy apricots, and a hint of spiced tropical fruits. On the palate, the wine is seamless with ripe fruit flavors balanced by the oak and a flinty finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chardonnay Estate is a crystal-clear representation of the new Chardonnay approach at The Hilt, bursting from the glass with a quintessential bouquet of dried kelp, iodine, citrus rinds and green orchard fruits, supported by a pleasant, woody backdrop. Seamless and lively on the palate, it concludes with a lifted, subtly complex finish that lingers with pleasant phenolic grip and weightless density. It's primarily composed of fruit from Radian, followed by Bentrock and Sanford & Benedict.
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Vinous
The 2023 Chardonnay Estate is a blend of Bentrock, Radian and Sanford & Benedict, three of the very finest sites in the region. The 2023 impresses with its perfectly integrated acidity right out of the gate. Taut, mineral-drenched citrus fruit and chalk run through a focused, driven, linear Chardonnay with great salty character and a supremely crisp. This is an excellent introduction to the range and the house style.
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Jeb Dunnuck
Orchard fruits, minty herbs, crushed stone, and hints of salty sea breeze define the 2023 Chardonnay Hilt Estate, and it's medium-bodied, juicy, fresh, and focused, with nicely integrated acidity and a clean, classy finish. This is a beautiful base Chardonnay for readers looking to see what these wines are all about.
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.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.