USA LOW PRICE

95+ points Vinous Media
Drinking window: 2027 - 2037
The 2023 Chardonnay Radian Vineyard absolutely brims with scintillating energy and vibrating tension. Linear and bracing, it pulses with lemon oil, oyster shell and white pepper, carried on a spine of chalky grip and saline acidity. Beneath its tightly wound frame lies immense, almost untamed phenolic power. Today, the Radian is wound incredibly tight, emanating subtle marine inflections that ripple across the palate. Time in the bottle will allow the 2023 to unclench its fists and relax its shoulders. I can't wait.

The 2023 vintage at The Hilt was not for the faint of heart. “It was a difficult year for powdery at The Hilt and throughout much of the county. It was just such a mild summer, and the temperatures and conditions were perfect for our little fungal friend to linger and threaten the crop late into the vintage. It was likely the worst we had seen since 2008. Just a really long battle that had to be fought. We eventually harvested exceptionally clean fruit, but it wasn't easy,” said Dees. All that effort was certainly worth it, as the wines are tremendous.

In 2023, the Bentrock Chardonnay came from north-facing blocks that are shielded from the fierce winds that can batter these sites, while the Radian Chardonnay emerged from exposed, west-facing hillside parcels. Both wines saw slightly less time in barrel (11 months) followed by somewhat less time in tank (6 months) than is the norm here. The results are spectacular, particularly the Bentrock, a magnificent, dynamic wine that is only to be outdone by the 2023 Chardonnay Vanguard. The Vanguard is primarily Bentrock with the inclusion of a small portion from Solomon Hills, a vineyard that has sadly been ripped out due to disease. The Vanguard is one of the finest Chardonnays I’ve ever tasted from California. Full stop. The reds at The Hilt are no slouches either. Radian delivered very tiny clusters in 2023, which yielded a wine of sheer vertical intensity. Any way you spin it, The Hilt is a source for some of the very best wines in California.