2015 The Hilt Old Guard Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
The 2015 Chardonnay Old Guard is marked by a very distinctive, Riesling-like note of minerality. There is terrific energy to balance the more overt qualities of the year. Readers should expect an exotic, phenolic Chardonnay endowed with considerable intensity. Fruit sources are Solomon Hills, Bien Nacido, Sanford & Benedict and Bentrock.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
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The 2015 Chardonnay Old Guard offers up notes of lemon meringue, honeysuckle and peach blossoms with suggestions of baking bread, marzipan and hay. Medium-bodied with a lovely crisp backbone, the palate yields plenty of citrus and savory layers with a long, chalky finish.
Similarly colored to the Vanguard (maybe a touch lighter), the 2015 Chardonnay Old Guard is the old vine cuvée of the estate. It has slightly more acidity, yet terrific density and depth, with notes of white grapefruit, citrus blossom, crushed rocks and white flowers. It needs forgotten for 5-6 years. Farmed to “The Hilt,” these killer Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays are made by superstar winemaker Matt Dees. All these latest releases are going to benefit from 3-4 years of bottle age.
The 2015 Chardonnay Old Guard is bright, saline and beautifully focused throughout. Lemon peel, white flowers, salt and chalk imbue the 2015 with notable freshness to play off the sheer intensity and depth of the fruit. This is another compelling wine from The Hilt.
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.