Vineyards

Bentrock is a geological term. It refers to layers of sedimentary rock that bent without fracturing during upheavals of the earth’s crust. Like the graceful contours its name suggests, Bentrock vineyard distinguishes itself by producing generous, focused wines.

Ranging from 400 to more than 500 feet above sea level, Bentrock is a landscape of long, rolling hills reminiscent of some of Burgundy’s legendary wine properties. The slopes are not steep, and the grapevines flow gently down the hillsides. Fruit ripens slowly here, with cooling breezes moderating the plentiful sunshine. Bentrock comprises close to 100 acres, with 13.6 acres devoted to chardonnay and the remainder to pinot noir. It is The Hilt Estate’s easternmost vineyard.

Clay, sediment, and shale are the primary soil types in Bentrock, along with outcrops of diatomaceous earth. At the higher elevations, the soil consists of Santa Lucia shaly clay loam and Tierra sandy loam. The grains of sandy loam soil are larger, more textured, more layered, and better draining than those at Radian. “Though farming Bentrock has its challenges, compared to Radian, it’s a teddy bear.” Dees says. The vine rows are longer and less steep than Radian’s. As with our other vineyards, no herbicides or pesticides are used, making it possible for us to take a long view of vine and soil health.

Temperatures in this vineyard are slightly warmer than at Radian. The grapes ripen more quickly and evenly, and accumulate ample sugars while still retaining fresh acidity. The warmer soils translate to a soft attack in the wines, giving them a pronounced velvety richness and roundness on the mid-palate. Reflecting the gentle nature of Bentrock itself, the wines are full of depth and opulence, with a purity of black and red fruit flavor. We use new oak to frame the fruit and give the wines a little bit of toast.

Bentrock pinot noirs are balanced, fruit-driven, and powerful, with the signature fresh-crushed raspberry of the Sta. Rita Hills appellation. The wines have a beautiful opening.

The chardonnays are generous jumping out of the glass with fruit, mineral intensity, and electric acidity.

Radian is a geometric term that refers to a unit of measure for angles. As its name suggests, Radian vineyard is angular and edgy. Its extreme elevation affords vast, commanding views. Strong winds make standing upright a challenge. Ironically, this vineyard, which Dees describes as “the coldest and most evil” of The Hilt’s properties, produces very dense fruit and wines with soft, silky tannins. The chardonnays are icy; the pinot noirs, balanced and elegant. It is not a friendly site, Dees says. “Radian keeps its secrets to itself. It has almost a sense of foreboding, but, at the same time, I would be hard pressed to think of a more beautiful vineyard.”

Radian, on the western side of our estate, is rugged and extreme. The incline of the slopes is as steep as 45 degrees in places. Irregular vineyard parcels give the impression of short, sharp bursts—as if, according to Matt Dees, a giant broke a vase and left the shards on the ground.

The vineyard parcels vary considerably in their climates, soil types, and aspects, or angles at which the sun hits the vines. At the highest points, the elevation of Radian is nearly 700 feet and the vines are exposed to winds so strong sometimes that standing upright is possible only by holding on to a sturdy stake at the end of a vine row. Rocky soils and ankle-deep diatomaceous earth (see “Diatomaceous Earth,” below) predominate on the ridgelines. Downhill, the soils are primarily clay loams and minimal irrigation is needed.

The soils are, in general, poor. Vines take longer to grow, and they send their roots down deep in search of nutrients. The berries are small. Fruit and stems tend to ripen later. We ferment the grapes with some of their stems, up to 1/3 whole-cluster fermentation, no new oak, and completely neutral barrels to preserve the essence of the fruit.

Radian covers roughly 100 acres, with at least 10 acres of chardonnay and the rest planted to pinot noir. The sheer quantity of different vineyard blocks in Radian and the difficulty of driving tractors up its steep inclines require us to hand-tend the vines. Many hours are devoted to pulling weeds and working compost into the soil.

In contrast to Radian’s challenging terrain is a unique area nestled within it. The Pinot Bowl sits like a small amphitheater in a sheltered valley, completely cradled from the harsh winds at the summit. Some of the blocks are so far down that when the sun hides below the mountains, temperatures drop quickly. Compared to the rest of the property, the Pinot Bowl is cooler, with lower temperatures both day and night. The aspects of these vineyard blocks lie in all directions.

When vinified, all Radian fruit reveals its wild origins in more austere, structured tannins. The grapes take longer to ripen, and the slower grapevine metabolism produces white wines with sharp, crystalline focus and electric acidity. Dees likens icy, lean Radian Vineyard chardonnay to drinking a light saber.

The pinots are perfumy and nuanced, redolent of spice, earth, game, and funk. The extended growing season means that we can also ripen the stems and utilize them in the winemaking process to achieve the holy trinity of pinot noir, namely, structure, spice, and complexity.

Puerta del Mar or "Door of the Sea" is approximately 10-11 miles inland from Pacific. At the westernmost end of The Hilt Estate is where the winery production and tasting room buildings are located. There is a limited number of pinot noir and chardonnay vines grown around the buildings at this location.

This beautiful setting near the intersection of Highway 1 and Santa Rosa Road is home to The Hilt’s winery and tasting room, opening in the fall of 2019. Designed by the renowned architect Howard J. Backen and his firm, Backen & Gillam Architects, the tasting room looks out on the Santa Rita Valley from its commanding site at the southwestern opening to the Sta. Rita Hills viticultural area. Salsipuedes Creek also runs through this location.

Diatomaceous earth, often referred to by its abbreviation D.E., is a powdery raw material, essentially soil, formed from the microscopic fossilized remains of diatoms. Diatoms are single-celled algal organisms whose cell walls are composed of silica. From a distance, D.E. looks like chalk, which is also formed from single-celled algae. In terms of chemical composition, however, D.E. is silica, whereas chalk is calcium carbonate, also known as weathered limestone. Both are highly porous and permeable. The light, fine top layer of D.E. in Radian vineyard is hydrophobic, whereas its subsoil is good at holding water.

One ridgetop in Radian vineyard contains so much diatomaceous earth that to walk in the white topsoil is to see your boots covered in what looks like lunar dust. In the winery, this powdery substance, with its high silica content, acts like a fining agent, resulting in wines of notable clarity.

The porosity and permeability of diatomaceous earth affect grapevines much in the same way that limestone does in the great wine-producing regions of Champagne and Chablis. In our locale, as the vines send out their roots the D.E. shatters and the plants dig deep for nutrients. Like all the best soils for wine grapes, D.E. is not fertile.