2010 The Hilt Old Guard Chardonnay

Lemon, white flowers, spices, apples and a subtle hint of oak wrap around the palate in the 2010 Chardonnay Old Guard. This is an utterly impeccable, beautifully balanced Chardonnay oozing with class and pedigree. The layered, resonant finish rounds things out in style. The 2010 is 55% Sanford & Benedict and 45% Solomon Hills fruit aged 50% in neutral oak, 25% in new oak and 25% in stainless steel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. The Hilt is a new project headed by Stan Kroenke, Matt Dees and Armand de Maigret, the same team behind Jonata. This strong set of new releases suggests the future is very bright for The Hilt. I also tasted the 2011s, but they are very, very young and still need considerable time to come together. There will be a new Chardonnay in 2011 called Vanguard, which will round out the current lineup to two Chardonnays and two Pinots. Tel. (805) 564-8581

Lemon, white flowers, spices, apples and a subtle hint of oak wrap around the palate in the 2010 Chardonnay Old Guard. This is an utterly impeccable, beautifully balanced Chardonnay oozing with class and pedigree. The layered, resonant finish rounds things out in style. The 2010 is 55% Sanford & Benedict and 45% Solomon Hills fruit aged 50% in neutral oak, 25% in new oak and 25% in stainless steel. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2016. Aug 2012, www.robertparker.com