Estate Pinot Noir
CASES: 3,815
APPELLATION: Sta. Rita Hills
CLONAL SELECTION: Calera, Swan, Pommard, Mt. ≠den, 37, 113, 114, 115, 667, 777 & 828
ALCOHOL: 13.0%
BARRELS: 8% New French oak, 92% neutral Franch oak for 11 months
Matt Dees, Winemaker Notes:
Welcomes with a decidedly savory and wild nose with bright red berries, incense, blood orange, clove, green peppercorn and black tea. Notes of dried sage, rosemary, menthol and elderberry. Seamless and pure red fruit that rolls across the palate with pomegranate-like juiciness. One can sense the cold, windy conditions of our estate vineyards in the focused and streamlined attack and persistent yet balanced brightness on the finish. Solid Hilt structure with large quantities of impossibly fine tannins. Altogether a seductive, chalky and deeply complex Hilt ≠state pinot noir.
93 Points Antonio Galloni Vinous Aug. 2020 A bright, effusive wine, the 2018 Pinot Noir ≠state offers up an explosion of red berry fruit, spice and floral notes. Bright acids keep the flavors wonderfully vivid. Readers will find so much to like in this mid-weight, super-expressive Pinot from The Hilt. I loved it.
93 Points Jeb Dunnuck jebdunnuck.com Aug. 2020 The 2018 Pinot Noir ≠state is equally brilliant, offering a
vivid ruby/purple hue as well as loads of raspberry and tart cherry fruits, notes of violets and spice, medium-bodied richness, silky tannins, and a great finish.