The lower yields in 2024 come to the forefront in the vintage with incredible density and concentration of fruit. As always, this wine is a layered and complex creature with floral notes alongside stone fruit and baking spice. The palate is textbook Hilt Estate with vibrancy and electricity leading the way with silky apricot texture and nuances of cinnamon and marzipan. Classic notes of lime zest and sea salt with hints of sage and truffle honey. Focused and pure, but with more richness and breadth on the palate. An absolute pleasure to drink today, but also perhaps our most beautifully built Estate Chardonnay for future consideration. So much energy and electricity. A very special vintage.
Matt Dees, Winemaker
Varietal:
Chardonnay
Vineyard:
Bentrock Vineyard (cl. 76, 95), Radian Vineyard (cl. 95 ,548, Musque)
Appellation:
Sta Rita Hills
Ageing:
11 months in 35% new French oak, 60% neutral French oak, 5% stainless barrels, then 6 months with all lees in stainless tanks.
Alcohol:
13.4%
Case Production:
2,811
All things in winegrowing are cyclical and interlinked between vintages. A cold and cloudy spring in 2023 that caused the buds to not receive very much sunlight gave us shoots with very little fruit in 2024. Difficult cool conditions during flowering further diminished our yields resulting in a reduction from 2023 yields that often topped 40%. This caused incredible concentration throughout the fruit in our vineyards. A few warm spells in early September helped to even out the clusters on each vine and helped slowly push the grapes towards ripeness. A slow maturation allowed the development of incredible flavors while maintaining exceptional freshness. The resulting wines are absolutely concentrated and pure expressions of our Estate vineyards. They are thrilling.
Matt Dees, Winemaker
Matt Dees, Winemaker
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