The Hilt by Jonata "Radian Vineyard" Pinot Noir 2023
(Santa Rita Hills, California) - [JD 99] [JS 98] [WA 97] [VM 96+]

About the Winery:
From the same proprietors as Jonata, The Hilt was founded in 2008 as a separate winery focusing on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Santa Rita Hills and Santa Maria Valley. In 2014, the Rancho Salsipuedes estate was purchased and a new, permanent home for The Hilt was found. Outside of Salsipuedes, The Hilt also sources old-vine fruit from the marled soils of Sanford and Benedict and the loamy sandy soils of Solomon Hills in the Santa Maria Valley.

Winemaker Matt Dees is very much in charge of the entire process, from vine to bottle. He's passionate about the rugged terrains and an enthusiast of the art of blending. As of 2014, he abolished the use of herbicides and pesticides in Rancho Salsipuedes and established his own farming parameters for the vineyards. 

About this Wine:
The Radian Vineyard is located in the Sta. Rita Hills and the Pinot Noir vines are 14 years old on average, coming mainly from blocks with the highest DE content. The wine ages in 90% neutral French oak barrels and 10% new French oak barrels for 12 months.

Radian is a breathtaking high-altitude vineyard where whipping winds and diatomaceous earth-based soils predominate. The yields are tiny offering intensely concentrated and laser focused wines.  

Tasting Notes:
"As always, this vineyard creates wines that are aromatic showstoppers. This wine is effusive with leather, black cherry, cured meat and fresh shaved black truffle. White pepper, olive tapenade and clove. Profound wine with tapestry of black fruit that surrounds the authentic and consistent dusting of Radian DE tannins. Ultrafine and dusty, these tannins linger and create a wonderful savory effect. Chicory and cured meat. Rose petal, blackberry and violets. As with the other finest vintages from this hallowed site, I could smell this wine all day. It shifts and changes color in the glass and reveals an ever-expanding panoply of exotic and mouthwatering nuances." - Matt Dees, Winemaker

Ratings & Reviews

99 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:

The 2023 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard is going to flirt with perfection and is an absolutely riveting Pinot Noir in the making. Coming from clearly one of the Grand Cru vineyards in the Sta. Rita Hills, it has a beautiful nose of pure red and black fruits that turns more meaty, mineral-laced, and peppery with air. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, this beauty has a focused, elegant mouthfeel, flawless overall balance, and a great, great finish. It has the purity, as well as the suppleness, of the vintage, and I suspect it will shine with just short-term cellaring.

98 Points - James Suckling:
"So much energy and salt, anchoring forest fruit, boysenberries and crushed violets against a tug of earth. Mineral, filigreed and refined, this is capable of aging for decades yet provides tremendous short-term pleasure. Drink or hold." (Aug 2025)

97 Points - Wine Advocate:
"Within a remarkable set of wines, the 2023 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard gets my nod as the most multidimensional wine in The Hilt's portfolio. While several wines in the lineup display oceanic, kelp and nori-like aromas, none render them with the exceptional purity and vivid nature displayed here. The palate continues this purity, combining outrageous density with a spry, silken texture, seamlessly slingshotting into a vibrant, staining and succulent finish that lingers endlessly, thanks to extraordinarily refined tannins and the site's ubiquitous soaring salinity. This is a reference point for the region and one that I am tremendously excited to follow in the cellar." - Matthew Luczy (Nov 2025)

96+ Points - Vinous Media:
"The 2023 Pinot Noir Radian Vineyard is explosive, expressive and deeply serious. It builds all the way from the first sip until long after it leaves the palate. Sneaky, integrated acids keep the train moving, but this is an inward, mineral-drenched wine with a brooding, youthful edge. Inky red fruit, spice, crushed rocks and lavender flesh out in a complex expression that will need considerable time to fill in completely. That said, it will certainly be worth the wait." - Billy Norris (Aug 2025)