The Hilt is one of California's most prestigious wine estates, owned by Stan Kroenke (who also owns Screaming Eagle and France's Bonneau du Martray) and farmed by winemaker Matt Dees at Rancho Salsipuedes in the Santa Rita Hills AVA of Santa Barbara County. The Bentrock Vineyard is one of two flagship single-vineyard sites on the estate, providing the Chardonnay fruit from old vines on north-facing slopes that moderate the region's already cool maritime climate to produce wines of exceptional minerality and longevity.

Bentrock's vines range up to 44 years of age on the Santa Rita Hills' characteristic diatomite and loam soils, and the north-facing aspect at elevation maximises the cool ocean air funnelled through the valley from the Pacific. Matt Dees applies a minimalist philosophy at the cellar: native yeast fermentation, whole cluster pressing and restrained oak usage that preserves the mineral tension and salinity for which Bentrock Chardonnay has become celebrated. The 2023 vintage of this wine received 97 from James Suckling, Vinous and 96+ from the Wine Advocate; the 2022 pre-dated these scores but represents the same sourcing and philosophy.

The Hilt's Bentrock Chardonnay has established itself within just a decade of production as a California Chardonnay benchmark, cited alongside Kistler, Peter Michael and the finest Sonoma Chardonnays as a wine of genuine world-class ambition. The combination of the Kroenke family's investment, Dees's precise winemaking and the Bentrock site's exceptional cool-climate character has produced a wine that attracts strong critical scores and collector interest with each successive vintage.

Best from 2026 to 2035. Pair with grilled turbot, lobster bisque, poached scallops or aged comté. Serve at 12 degrees Celsius in a broad white wine glass.

Pale gold with green shimmer. The nose is precise and mineral: seaspray, lemon oil, white flowers, honeydew and a distinctive iodine-saline quality from the Bentrock soils. The palate is medium-full bodied with excellent acidity, seamless texture and a long, mineral-driven finish of real class. A compelling expression of Santa Rita Hills Chardonnay from a benchmark estate.