The Hilt

After establishing Jonata (Santa Ynez Valley, 2003) and acquiring Screaming Eagle (Napa Valley, 2006), Stan Kroenke and family identified Sta. Rita Hills as the next target for serious estate investment. The AVA had emerged through the 2000s as one of California's most prestigious cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay destinations, with Sea Smoke, Brewer-Clifton, Sanford, and others establishing the regional identity. The Hilt was launched in 2015 as the Kroenke family's Sta. Rita Hills cool-climate expression, with Matt Dees (already principal winemaker at Jonata since 2006) taking on the additional winemaking responsibility. The estate's initial fruit sources were grower contracts with top Sta. Rita Hills vineyards; the estate-developed Puerta del Mar Vineyard, planted by The Hilt team starting in the late 2010s, is becoming the foundational estate vineyard over time.

• Launched 2015 as Stan Kroenke and family's Sta. Rita Hills cool-climate Pinot Noir + Chardonnay project
• Counterpart to sister projects Jonata (Santa Ynez Valley, 2003) and Screaming Eagle (Napa Valley, acquired 2006)
• Matt Dees: principal winemaker for The Hilt and Jonata since The Hilt founding
• Estate-developed Puerta del Mar Vineyard planted by The Hilt team starting in the late 2010s; becoming foundational estate source

The Hilt validated the Sta. Rita Hills investment thesis at the highest tier of capital and ambition. The Kroenke family's combination of Screaming Eagle (Napa), Jonata (Santa Ynez Valley), and The Hilt (Sta. Rita Hills) represents a multi-AVA California portfolio that few investors have assembled at similar scale. Matt Dees's Burgundian-influenced approach at The Hilt - distinct from his broader Bordeaux + Rhône work at Jonata - demonstrates the regional terroir distinctness across the Kroenke California holdings. The Hilt's single-vineyard bottlings from Bentrock, Radian, and Puerta del Mar showcase the diversity of Sta. Rita Hills terroirs and continue the AVA's stylistic exploration of site-driven cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

• Validated Sta. Rita Hills at the highest tier of investment and ambition
• Kroenke multi-AVA California portfolio: Screaming Eagle (Napa) + Jonata (SYV) + The Hilt (SRH) - multi-AVA scale rare among California investors
• Matt Dees's Burgundian-influenced approach at The Hilt distinct from his Bordeaux + Rhône work at Jonata
• Single-vineyard bottlings showcase Sta. Rita Hills terroir diversity (Bentrock + Radian + Puerta del Mar)

Matt Dees's winemaking philosophy at The Hilt emphasizes Burgundian-influenced restraint, native yeast fermentation, modest new oak, and substantial whole-cluster Pinot Noir inclusion. Pinot Noir is fermented in small open-top tanks with native yeasts; whole-cluster percentages typically run 30 to 70 percent depending on site and vintage. Aging is in French oak (typically 20 to 35 percent new) for 14 to 18 months. Chardonnay is whole-cluster pressed, fermented in French oak with native yeasts, undergoes full malolactic fermentation, and is aged on lees for 12 to 14 months. The wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Alcohols typically run 13 to 13.5 percent - restrained but not extreme. Dees's approach at The Hilt is distinct from his work at Jonata: where Jonata emphasizes substantial barrel time and structural extraction, The Hilt emphasizes site clarity and Burgundian transparency.

• Burgundian-influenced restraint distinct from Matt Dees's Bordeaux + Rhône work at Jonata
• Native yeast fermentation; whole-cluster Pinot 30-70% by site/vintage; 14-18 months barrel aging
• 20-35% new French oak for Pinot Noir; full malolactic Chardonnay with 12-14 months on lees
• Alcohols 13-13.5%; unfined and unfiltered bottling; site clarity emphasis

The Hilt has consistently earned 93 to 96 point scores across Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, and Wine Enthusiast since its 2015 founding. The single-vineyard Bentrock and Radian Pinot Noir bottlings have been particularly noted for stylistic distinctness. Matt Dees's parallel work at Jonata and The Hilt has earned him recognition as one of California's most accomplished multi-tradition winemakers; few other California winemakers operate at the level of both Bordeaux/Rhône and Burgundian traditions simultaneously. The Puerta del Mar Vineyard development represents a substantial estate-vineyard investment that will increasingly define The Hilt's identity over time as the plantings mature.

• Consistent 93-96 point scores across Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, Wine Enthusiast since 2015 founding
• Single-vineyard Bentrock and Radian Pinot Noir bottlings particularly noted for stylistic distinctness
• Matt Dees recognized as one of few California winemakers operating at top tier in both Bordeaux/Rhône (Jonata) and Burgundian (The Hilt) traditions
• Puerta del Mar Vineyard development will increasingly define The Hilt's identity as plantings mature

The Hilt is owned by Stan Kroenke and family, with Jonata and Screaming Eagle. Matt Dees is principal winemaker. The estate operates from a Sta. Rita Hills cellar facility, with no public tasting room. Annual production runs approximately 3,000 to 5,000 cases across the single-vineyard bottlings, multi-vineyard Sta. Rita Hills Pinot Noir and Chardonnay cuvées, and limited estate releases. Sales are conducted almost exclusively through mailing-list allocation, with very limited restaurant distribution. The estate's identity continues to evolve as the Puerta del Mar Vineyard plantings mature and as the long-term grower-contract sourcing strategy adapts.

• Stan Kroenke and family ownership; Jonata and Screaming Eagle sister projects
• Matt Dees: principal winemaker for The Hilt and Jonata since The Hilt founding 2015
• Annual production approximately 3,000-5,000 cases; mailing-list-only allocation
• Sta. Rita Hills cellar facility; no public tasting room

The Hilt's fruit sources combine long-term grower contracts at top Sta. Rita Hills vineyards with the estate-developed Puerta del Mar Vineyard. Bentrock Vineyard, part of the Domaine de la Côte estate (Sashi Moorman + Rajat Parr property), supplies Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for The Hilt's single-vineyard bottlings. Radian Vineyard, also part of the Domaine de la Côte property, is another core source. The Hilt's estate Puerta del Mar Vineyard, planted starting in the late 2010s, sits at the western Sta. Rita Hills edge near Lompoc and is among the AVA's coolest sites; the vineyard will increasingly anchor The Hilt's estate identity as plantings mature. Additional grower contracts support the multi-vineyard Sta. Rita Hills cuvées. Farming follows sustainable practices.

• Grower contracts at top Sta. Rita Hills vineyards: Bentrock (Domaine de la Côte estate) + Radian (Domaine de la Côte estate)
• Estate-developed Puerta del Mar Vineyard (planted starting late 2010s) at western SRH edge near Lompoc
• Multi-vineyard Sta. Rita Hills cuvées supported by additional grower contracts
• Sustainable farming practices; Puerta del Mar will increasingly anchor The Hilt's estate identity as plantings mature