Best Hilt ever for Vinous:
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.
And also from 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.
And also for CellarTracker, with this review:
Lifted, spicy, and deeply seductive, this opens with incense, Luxardo cherry, and a striking sense of place—like standing in the middle of the Radian vineyard itself, surrounded by diatomaceous earth blocks. Aromatics shift constantly: chaparral, black sage, pine forest, thyme, juniper, and sweet soil, with flashes of mint, bay leaf, and black tea surfacing as the wine moves in the glass. The palate is coiled and energetic, dusty and chewy, carrying a nervy tension and a surprising core of inner sweetness. Radian’s signature tannins coat the mouth completely yet gently, then recede, allowing the dark, resinous fruit to emerge with clarity. Mercurial and chameleon-like, the wine continually changes shape and savoriness, gaining depth and harmony with air—clearly better on day two and three. Like the 2022 Bentrock Pinot, this feels like a wine just getting started, full of energy, promise, and unmistakable Radian character. Outstanding in quality and value if at $100.
Pinot Noir – and frankly wine - just doesn’t get any better than this!
