The Hilt | FINE+RARE

About the producer

The Hilt is the Santa Rita Hills project owned by sports and property mogul billionaire Stan Kroenke, who also owns Screaming Eagle in Napa Valley and the Jonata estate in the California’s Ballard Canyon AVA.

The Hilt’s winemaking team is headed up by Matt Dees, who is also the winemaker at Jonata. Dees and his team first started exploring the Santa Rita Hills AVA in 2008. After much experimentation they finally purchased the Rancho Salsipuedes property in 2014. The vineyards are situated on the limits of the Santa Rita Hills AVA and are the closest in the region to the ocean, which is just 13 miles away.

The proximity of these vineyards to the ocean, combined with their altitude (sitting at up to 700 feet above sea-level), along with the distinct diatomaceous soils, makes them some of the most interesting for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir production in California.

The first releases of The Hilt’s Estate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were the 2014 vintage. From 2018, they started producing single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from their top sites, Radian and Bentrock. They also produce The Old Guard cuvée (predominantly a wine from the Radian vineyard) and The Vanguard (predominantly from the Bentrock vineyard). The Hilt’s annual production is between 7,000 and 8,000 cases a year.

In the vineyard

Matt Dees believes the vineyards of the Santa Rita Hills AVA are some of the most hostile in all of California. The very poor diatomaceous soils, combined with the intense, cool maritime winds on these exposed ridgetop vineyards makes for a challenging environment for the vines. Dees admits that part of The Hilt’s Radian vineyard is just too windy for the vines to survive.

Each of the three vineyards (Radian, Bentrock and Puerto del Mar) on the estate has its own characteristics. The Radian vineyard is the steepest of the three sites and the closest to the ocean – ideal for cooler-toned Pinot Noir – Dees likes to describe it as “the dark side of Pinot Noir, capturing the sous-bois and savoury elements you find in the most captivating Pinots”. The Bentrock vineyard, although also situated on a ridge, has a much more gentle landscape. All the vineyards share the poor diatomaceous soils, the cool maritime winds as well as the reliable California sunshine. The combination results in slow ripening of these naturally low-yielding vines.

In the winery

Matt Dees, originally from Kansas, first started making wine in Vermont before a wine drinking experience was set to change his life forever. His brother bought him a bottle of 1995 Staglin Napa Cabernet. He was so amazed by the quality of the wine he turned up at the winery begging for a job. He went on to work with celebrated winemaker Andy Erickson (owner of Leviathan winery and previously winemaker for Harlan, Screaming Eagle and Staglin). Erickson has been a mentor to Dees for 20 years and he introduced Dees to Stan Kroenke’s new project Jonata in 2004. He joined the team and has worked with them ever since. Dees began researching The Hilt project in 2008, taking charge of the project alongside his winemaking duties at Jonata.

The three tiers of wines made at The Hilt undergo slightly different winemaking processes. The top single-vineyard Chardonnays of Radian and Bentrock along with The Vanguard are all 100% barrel fermented (with a third new oak for the single-vineyard wines), matured for 12 months prior to bottling. The Vanguard is typically matured in 90% new French oak, with a further six months in stainless steel prior to bottling. The Old Guard Chardonnay typically sees little new oak, sometimes none at all, but it varies vintage to vintage. The single-vineyard Pinot Noirs undergo 40% whole-bunch fermentation, matured entirely in old, neutral oak. The Vanguard by contrast is 100% destemmed and aged in French oak barrels, typically 20% new. The Estate wines are also matured in French oak (10% new).

About the producer