The Hilt Estate is made up of three distinct vineyards: Bentrock, Radian, and Puerta del Mar. The two distinct ridges, Bentrock and Radian, define the property and are the primary sources for all our wines. These ridges include an extensive range of altitudes, mesoclimates, hours of sunshine, and soil types. Our wines are produced separately in order to capture the different characters of our ridgeline vineyards.

Each vineyard parcel on The Hilt Estate is unique, all share three highly desirable characteristics. First, our grapevines do not have the easy life of plants grown in fertile soil; poor soils force the vines to send their roots deep in search of nutrients, resulting in better fruit. Second, our plentiful sunlight and maritime climate, with its strong winds and cool days and nights, means that grapes ripen slowly while retaining their acidity. Finally, our vines are carefully selected for low vigor, to produce grapes with concentrated, complex flavors. The estate is planted with a diverse selection of clonal materials, from which Matt Dees chooses the pinot noir and chardonnay grapes to create The Hilt’s wines.