- Producer: Hilliard Bruce - read about the Estate
- Winemakers: John Hilliard and Christine Bruce
- Region (AVA): Santa Ynez Valley (Sta. Rita Hills)
- Blend: 100% Chardonnay
- Vintage production: 12 barrels
- Winery location: Sta. Rita Hills
- Owners: John Hilliard and Christine Bruce
- First vintage: 2009
- Drinking window: 2018-2023+
About the Wine:
Made in Christine's simple Burgundian method - lightly pressed and barrel fermented with Montrachet yeast. This vintage highlights the citrus, terroir, and minerality of the vineyard, balanced by 14 months in 30% new Damy barrels from Meursault. Aromas of honeysuckle rise from the glass, as lemon peel, slate and pineapple add lift and crispness to the smooth palate.
Hilliard Bruce Estate Chardonnay 2016
"The 2016 Chardonnay Estate offers slightly more freshness and purity, with terrific notes of white peach, apple blossom, spice, and hints of earth. It’s more upfront, charming, and supple comparted to the 2015, and is ideal for drinking over the coming 4-5 years. It shows the style of the vintage beautifully and is ready to go."
92 points, Jeb Dunnuck (Oct. 2018)
"The 2016 Chardonnay Estate is gorgeous. Bright, focused and light on its feet, the 2016 has so much to offer. In the glass, the Estate is lifted, brilliant and finely cut. Tangerine, hazelnut and floral notes are laced into the supple, silky finish."
90 Points, Antonio Galloni (Sept. 2018)