2019 Estate Chardonnay
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Tasting notes
Aged in approximately a third new French oak, The Hilt’s Estate Chardonnay is a blend of fruit from across their estate in the Santa Rita Hills – and a brilliant entry-point to the range. The 2019, now with a few years in bottle, is drinking beautifully. The nose is packed with sweet fruit – peaches and ripe lemon, with a honeyed edge. On the palate, the wine combines mouth-watering acidity with a weight of stone fruit – rich yet vibrant, the fruit enveloping the tongue, heady yet refined, with a subtle mineral line that drives through the long, moreish finish.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
With vibrant green citrus and hints of briny salinity, this blend from The Hilt's Estate vineyards is a lovely prototype of the racy Chardonnay the windy, chilly side of Sta. Rita Hills can produce. Spicy jasmine aromas give it a tiny tropical spin, mixed with live zest and minerals. Crisp green apple joins that driving citrus (think lemon verbena) on the palate, delivered with taut textures, with a strong vein of minerality continuing through a dry, vibrant finish.
This has lots of verve and brightness, with sliced green apple and pear, as well as matchstick. It’s medium-bodied with tangy acidity. Creamy texture and an intense finish. Drink now.
The 2019 Chardonnay Estate offers a clean, crisp, vibrant style as well as classic citrus, white flowers, and salty mineral-like aromas and flavors. This quintessential, classic Sta. Rita Hills Chardonnay will keep for a decade.
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.