Winemaker Notes
Heady and lifted combination of ripe red and black fruits with notes of fresh mushroom and dried rose petals. Generous and open on the palate with layer upon layer of red raspberry and a floral inner-perfume. Seductive and suave with power and velvet-like elegance. Fine grained tannins lead the way to a richly textured finish that lingers on and on.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
Similarly colored, the 2016 Pinot Noir Vanguard is destemmed and sees plenty of new barrels. Currants, blackberries, crushed rocks, and spice notes as well as some floral and violet notes all flow to a richly textured, beautifully balanced Pinot Noir that has sweet tannins, lots of density and structure, and a great finish. It has more elegance and layers than the estate cuvée but is certainly in the same ballpark. Give bottles 2-3 years in the cellar.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Pinot Noir Vanguard reveals notes of damson, plum, raspberries, currant leaf and rose petal, followed by a medium-bodied palate structured around fine-grained tannins, showing a bit more texture and mid-palate weight than the Sta. Rita Hills bottling, but to my taste less energy and complexity. Its acids are tangy and linger on the youthfully primary finish. The Vanguard hails from warmer sites that are sheltered from the wind.
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.
Pinot Noir is the second-most planted grape in Santa Barbara County, just behind Chardonnay. It thrives in cooler areas of the region, namely in the of the Sta. Rita Hills, which is part of Santa Barbara’s larger Santa Ynez Valley sub-appellation. Thought for decades to be too cool for viticulture, Sta. Rita Hills began to gain notoriety in the 1970’s, thanks to the pioneering work of Richard Sandford and Michael Benedict, among others.
Santa Barbara Pinot Noir dances across the palate with vivid red fruit and spice. Precision, bright acidity, elegance and fruit-driven silkiness make Santa Barbara Pinot delightfully enjoyable, whether on their own or with a variety of dishes.