2018 Hirsch Pinot Noir Estate Reserve
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Tasting notes
Tasted blind. Sweet smoke, toast, ripe red fruit, fine but persistent tannins. Youthful and furry. Finishes with a touch of medicinal character. Savoury. I will default to burgundy here, and that oak must mean it is premier cru or above, although it’s a far-from-confident call. (RH)
Critic scores
Average Score
James Suckling
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2018 Pinot Noir Reserve checks in as a cellar selection of the best terroirs. It’s just ever so slightly deeper ruby-hued, yet it’s still translucent in color. Revealing a great nose of darker cherry, redcurrant, scorched earth, crushed rock, and assorted savory dried herbs, it hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness and the classic, mineral-driven, structured, more acid and tannin-driven style that’s favored by this estate. Nicely balanced, with plenty of fruit, this is a wine you could drink today, but I think it’s going to pick up additional complexity with just 2-3 years of bottle age, and I have no doubt it will have 15+ years of overall longevity.
The 2018 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve is a blend of numerous parcels across the ranch, essentially from East Ridge, West Ridge, Raschen and Block 8. Powerful, rich and also quite tannic, the 2018 is a reticent Pinot that will demand cellaring. I would not plan on opening a bottle anytime soon.
Herbal and forested, this reserve estate wine is buzzy in acidity, with a lively, carbonic edge. Sharp red-strawberry and pomegranate notes are supplemented by juicy blood orange and a lasting foundation of structure.