2010 The Hilt Vanguard Pinot Noir
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Tasting notes
(made from fruit grown in the Sanford & Benedict, Bien Nacido and La Encantada vineyards; 35% new oak): Deep ruby. Sexy, floral-accented dark berries and cherry on the highly perfumed nose. Offers deep black raspberry and cherry-cola flavors and lively notes of orange zest and candied rose, with a supple, open-knit character. Taut and linear on a finish with impressive energy and persistent spiciness.
Critic scores
Average Score
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2010 Pinot Noir Vanguard doesn't have the fleshiness or exuberance of the 2009. This is a more linear style of Pinot built on energy and minerality. It shows good length less ripeness. Subtle hints of earthiness and tobacco add complexity to a finish laced with considerable subtlety and understatement. This is a pretty wine, but it doesn't quite have the complete feel of the 2009. The 2010 is 67% Sanford & Benedict, 23% Bien Nacido and 10% La Encantada.
The 2010 Pinot Noir Vanguard doesn’t have the fleshiness or exuberance of the 2009. This is a more linear style of Pinot built on energy and minerality. It possesses good length, but a bit less body and ripeness. Subtle hints of earthiness and tobacco add complexity to a finish laced with considerable subtlety and understatement. This is a pretty wine, but it doesn’t quite have the complete feel of the 2009. The 2010 is 67% Sanford & Benedict, 23% Bien Nacido and 10% La Encantada. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. The Hilt is a new project headed by Stan Kroenke, Matt Dees and Armand de Maigret, the same team behind Jonata. This strong set of new releases suggests the future is very bright for The Hilt. I also tasted the 2011s, but they are very, very young and still need considerable time to come together. There will be a new Chardonnay in 2011 called Vanguard, which will round out the current lineup to two Chardonnays and two Pinots. Tel. (805) 564-8581
The 2010 Pinot Noir Vanguard doesn’t have the fleshiness or exuberance of the 2009. This is a more linear style of Pinot built on energy and minerality. It possesses good length, but a bit less body and ripeness. Subtle hints of earthiness and tobacco add complexity to a finish laced with considerable subtlety and understatement. This is a pretty wine, but it doesn’t quite have the complete feel of the 2009. The 2010 is 67% Sanford & Benedict, 23% Bien Nacido and 10% La Encantada. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2017. Aug 2012, www.robertparker.com
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.