2022 Hirsch Pinot Noir West Ridge

The 2022 Pinot Noir West Ridge is usually the lightest of the wines in the range, and it excels in this vintage, offering finesse and a refreshing feel. It opens to notes of cinnamon, pomegranate, toasted incense, and spiced orange peel. On the palate, it has a more linear feel, with mouthwatering acidity, fine tannins, and a snappy finish. Drink 2025-2040. The current releases from Jasmine Hirsch include a first look at her 2023s, as well as the release of the 2022 single vineyard wines, which she holds back an additional year. While 2022 falls broadly into the category of a warm vintage for Sonoma, she notes that despite this being categorized as a vintage noted for its heat, they did not experience any notable heat until September. It never got above 92 degrees at Hirsch in August, and they had picked 70% of the fruit by Labor Day. (The peak was 108 degrees over Labor Day weekend.) For her, the yields were the defining factor in the concentration and density of the 2022 vintage.

The 2022 Pinot Noir Estate West Ridge marries the power of the vintage with a good bit of elegance. That makes for a very complete, deeply satisfying Pinot. Today the 2022 is so embryonic, and yet it exudes balance, with a level of pure sophistication that is not found in all the wines. A burst of vibrant red/purplish fruit, rose petal and lavender saturates the finish. Most of this fruit is from clones with a lineage that goes back to the original Paul Masson plantings at Mt. Eden.