Winemaker Notes
Savory, dark and perfumed pinot noir. Lifted notes of rose petals, black cherry, dried tobacco, blood orange, sage, pomegranate and cracked white pepper. Bright and savory red fruit with salinity, fresh herbs and focus. Lightness and charm on the palate with darker overtones of earth and dust. Gentle tannins with a vinous touch from minimal stem inclusion combine to make a finish that lingers. Ultimately a wine defined by elegance and precision.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Leading off the Pinot Noirs, the 2017 Pinot Noir Estate reveals a deeper ruby/purple-tinged color as well as a ripe, sexy bouquet of black raspberries, cassis, scorched earth, violets, and background oak. Rounded, medium to full-bodied, textured, and just loaded with dark fruit on the palate, it's beautifully balanced and will drink fabulously well for at least 7-8 years.
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Decanter
Bentrock Vineyard lies in the southwestern corner of the Sta. Rita Hills, and produces racy, lively wines that can be almost austere in their youth. The Hilt’s 2017 vintage of this estate site takes this edgy nature and combines it with a velvety richness. The nose is at once breezy and metallic, with aromas of clay dust, gunmetal and chalk. The palate is fine and granular, showing flavours of salted cranberry, grapefruit pith and cloves.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Estate Pinot Noir Sta. Rita Hills, aged for 12 months in 15% new French oak and with 5% stem inclusion, is pale to medium ruby-purple with tricolored fruits: blackberries, red berries and sliced blueberries with loamy earth, dust, peppered meat and dried florals. It's medium-bodied with a restrained fruit core and earthy accents, grainy tannins and juicy acidity, finishing long.
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.