The Hilt Vanguard Pinot Noir 2015
The Hilt Vanguard Pinot Noir 2015 comes from slightly younger vines and see a portion aged in new French oak. It’s similarly colored to the Old Guard cuvée but offers more fruit and polish on the nose. Cassis, dried cranberries, dried flowers and hints of mint all emerge from this layered, beautifully concentrated, focused Pinot Noir that’s slightly more approachable than the Old Guard cuvée, yet should be just as long lived. It needs 3-5 years of cellaring to show its true potential.
The Hilt Vanguard Pinot Noir 2015. Rita Hills is excellent, So much wild black fruit. Plum and blackberry. High toned and pure. Tons of flesh, but also so muscular. Smokey and resinous with air. Hints of black licorice, mint, dried sage and even dried chorizo. Texturally fascinating wine. A statuesque wine full of fruit density, chalky tannins and vibrancy. A wine with high shoulders and great posture. Serious pinot noir that is just getting started. Just spreading its wings. Density, fruit purity and long lasting tannic structure. Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2015 Pinot Noir Vanguard leaps from the glass with frisky Bing cherries, pomegranate and fresh cranberry notes plus hints of violets, cinnamon stick and fallen leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate gives a great intensity of crunchy, vibrant red berry flavors, framed by lovely ripe, grainy tannins and beautiful freshness, finishing long and perfumed.
The Hilt is defined by its three maritime influenced vineyards in the southwest corner of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation: Radian, Bentrock and Puerta del Mar. 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.
The Estate wines are defined by the fruit and flavors of our little southwestern corner of the Sta. Rita Hills. They speak of the nuances and complexities of our properties as a whole. These wines take into account the many aspects, clones, soil types, and other properties of our estate. They give us the maximum amount of blending components and represent the most complete wines in our portfolio.
