Come experience two renowned California Estates, that are vibrant, coastal wines defined by the Pacific, in one special dinner. The Restaurant at 1900 is hosting Matt Dees, winemaker for both JONATA and The Hilt. These wines offer a diverse lineup from Sparkling, Chardonnay, and Bordeaux varietal-based wines.
As always, Chef Linda Duerr and her team will create a beautiful, multi-course meal for your enjoyment. Due to the nature of the special menu, we cannot accommodate specialized dietary restrictions; if you have dietary restrictions, please contact us before booking, thank you.
Arrival time for this event will begin at 5:30 and we will sit down to dinner promptly at 6:00pm.
Welcome
Hilt Estate Sparkling 2020 St. Rita Hills, California
Course 1
Jonata Flor Sauv Blanc 2021 Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, California
Course 2
The Hilt Bentrock Vineyard Chardonnay 2021 Santa Barbara County, California
Course 3
Jonata Fenix 2019 Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, California
Jonata El Desafio Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 Ballard Canyon, Santa Ynez Valley, California
Course 4
The Hilt Botrytis Chardonnay 2018 Santa Barbara County, California
$175 per person, plus tax and gratuity
There are some people who are educated toward certain positions in life and others who are born to assume them—and Matt Dees is what you’d call a natural winemaker.
Armed with a degree in Soil Science from the University of Vermont and Vintages at Staglin in Napa, California and Craggy Range in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, Matt has an intrinsic feel for wine, from dirt to glass. curious, earthy and experimental by nature, Matt’s approach to winemaking is grounded in the vineyard (pun intentional) first and foremost: attuned to the vines, the weather, the soil, Matt seems almost to be a part of the vineyard itself.
Not being bound by the conventions of the enological world of academia (no degree in winemaking here) has allowed Matt to come to an untethered philosophy of wine. Where Jonata is concerned, this is an important point: Jonata is an unconventional place that requires an unconventional, open mind to bring it to life.
Lastly, Matt has another very concrete talent: a keen feel for the shapes and dimension of tannin. Listening to him discuss the tannin elements found in Jonata wines is like listening to Buckminster Fuller describe the geodesic dome (which he invented), or like listening to the daring polyphonic construction of Bach’s Brandenburg concertos. Dees is a winemaker who’s emotionally and intellectually connected to structure, texture and tannin and explores these elements deeply in his wines.
Matt is assisted in the winery by Drew Pickering.
To understand the wines made by The Hilt Estate, one might need to come visit the hard and harsh conditions under which they are born. The unobstructed, ocean facing east-west valley known as Sta. Rita Hills Valley is a complex AVA. One could divide it into four quadrants: northern-facing, southern-facing, close to the ocean, and further inland from the ocean. With such a frame, The Hilt’s favorite vineyards are in the northern-facing, closest to the ocean, windswept quadrant. These sites are the worst place for a grape grower, but the best ones for a winemaker.