Alcohol: 13%
Grape(s): Pinot Noir
Localization: Santa Rita Hills, California, USA
Tasting Notes: Beautiful and disarmingly pure expression of fresh red raspberry. Black cherry, black tea, black pepper, and orange blossom. Wonderfully evocative and seamlessly changing between dazzling lifted fruit, deeply earthy notes, enticing toasty qualities and a deft touch of savory stem-inclusion. A precise display of the generosity of fruit. Plush and silky, yet also undeniably coiled and powerful. Great balance between the darkness of Radian and the generosity of Bentrock vineyards. One of those rare pinot noirs that will be welcome on the table tonight, but also certainly repay cellar time.
93 Points Jeb Dunnuck: Terrific and shows the classy, medium-bodied, fresher style favored by this estate. Bright cherry, darker raspberry, flower, and violet notes all define this wonderfully complete, balanced, elegant Pinot Noir. It’s going to keep for at least 7-8 years, and probably over a decade.
Notes: 11 months in 10% new French oak, 90% neutral barrels.
The Domain: 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.
