2015 Pinot Noir Vanguard

The Hilt's 2016s and 2015s are stellar across the board. I find a bit more focus, delineation and structure in the 2016s, while the 2015s are naturally more overt. The Old Guard Chardonnay and Pinot tend to see very little new oak and are conceived in a fresher, linear style, while the Vanguard Chardonnay and Pinot are slightly richer, more immediate wines. But these are relatively small distinctions, as all the wines are truly fabulous and well worth considering. This is a terrific showing from the team headed by Matt Dees.

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.