2014 Chardonnay Old Guard

This is an absolutely stellar set of wines from The Hilt. Winemaker Matt Dees has crafted what are the finest 2014 Santa Barbara Pinots I have tasted so far. As always, the Vanguard is made with fully destemmed fruit and sees more new oak, while the Old Guard is fermented with some whole clusters and is aged mostly in neutral oak. The Sta. Rita Hills Pinot fills a nice role as a more approachable bottling. With the 2015s, the wines include more fruit from Rancho Salsipuedes (especially the Radian and Bentrock vineyards), which proprietor Stan Kroenke purchased in 2014. The 2015 Pinots, which I tasted from barrel, are off the charts. The Chardonnays are terrific in both 2014 and 2015, although the 2014s are not that expressive at this stage. In both vintages I did not see a significant difference in quality between the Santa Barbara Chardonnay and the Vanguard.

Once again, I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from The Hilt, proprietor Stan Kroenke's Chardonnay and Pinot winery in Santa Barbara. As the names imply, the Old Guard wines are a bit more classic in style, with greater emphasis on structure and tension, while the Vanguard wines are supple and overt. The Old Guard Chardonnay is made mostly from Solomon Hills fruit, where the maritime influence tends to produce tighter wines, and is aged in neutral barrels, with virtually all of the malolactic fermentation blocked. The Vanguard Chardonnay sees a good bit of new oak, more malolactic fermentation and is made mostly from Sanford & Benedict, a site with a good deal of textural softness. Similar themes apply to the two Pinots. The Old Guard features some stem inclusion and is aged in mostly neutral barrels, while the Vanguard is made with destemmed fruit and sees a good bit of new oak.

Things change quite a bit in 2014. Readers will note the addition of the Cool Hand Chardonnay and Pinot, now the entry-level wines in the range. Vineyard sourcing also changes quite a bit with the introduction of Puerta del Mar, Radian and Bentrock, all estate vineyards Stan Kroenke acquired last year. It is my firm belief that the role of California wine is to be...Californian. Still, when I look at the prices of The Hilt's Old Guard Chardonnays and Pinots and think about what that money can buy in Burgundy, well, there is little doubt that those wines are highly likely to please Old World-leaning palates. This is a superb set of wines across the board, though, with a number of highlights and plenty to look forward to.