The Hilt Winery, a sister winery to Jonata and Screaming Eagle, produces two Pinot Noir's and a Chardonnay. The two Pinot Noirs are the Vanguard and the Old Guard. The Vanguard Pinot Noir showcases the more fruit-forward (e.g. "new world")side of the Santa Barbara AVA vineyard sites while the Old Guard highlights the nuances and earthiness of a few select barrels of 40 year old vines.
As a fan of the more fruit forward style of Pinot Noir I selected a bottle of 2010 The Hilt Vanguard Pinot Noir Santa Barbara. A powerful Pinot Noir the front palate gives hints of dark berries, cocoa nibs and dark chocolate notes. The tannin are ever present. This is a big Pinot Noir but not in a negative way. Despite the size of this wine it maintains incredible balance. The mid palate brings notes of allspice and fruit supported by acidity. The tannin carry the notes through to the finish. The finish is medium-long and provides lasting mouthfeel.
2010 Hilt Vanguard, Pinot Noir is $45 from the mailing list which rates very high on the price to quality ratio scale. While this is an extremely big and bold Pinot Noir it is a must try for any fan of California fruit forward Pinot Noir (albeit on metaphorical steroids).
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