2011 Pinot Noir Vanguard

Proprietor Stan Kroenke, who also owns Jonata and Screaming Eagle, made a big addition to his vineyard portfolio earlier this year with the purchase of the 3,600-acre Ranch Salsipuedes, at the far western end of the Santa Rita Hills. The eastern section of the vineyard falls within the Sta. Rita Hills appellation while the western side, which doesn't, is classified as Santa Barbara County. There are currently 200 acres of vineyard planted here and the grapes, which come from three different sites—Bentrock (Sta. Rita Hills), Radian (Sta. Rita Hills) and Puerta del Mar (Santa Barbara County)—have been and will continue to be sold to a number of prominent wineries. Winemaker Matt Dees, who is also the man running things at Jonata, said that looking ahead these vineyards will be "the core of The Hilt" and that the soil, exposition and growing conditions are "exactly what we need to make the type of pinots and chardonnays we're after."

Winemaker Matt Dees appears to really be hitting his stride with this new project. The Hilt's Chardonnays and Pinots seem to moving up the quality ladder pretty quickly, making this one of the most exciting new projects in California. The Old Guard wines are generally a bit more structured in conception, while the Vanguard wines are a bit more overt, but those are pretty small distinctions. All of these wines merit serious attention. The 2011s have gorgeous delineation, much of which is attributable to the cool conditions Chardonnay and Pinot love. Dees describes 2012 as a year with bigger berries and higher sugars. More than vintage characteristics, with a new project like this, what counts most is the winemaking's team evolution as they gain familiarity with new fruit sources, and that seems to be happening at a very quick pace.