2019 Hirsch Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault

From a site that produces wines of more structure, even in low-tannin vintages, the 2019 Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault takes on more layered complexity, with a perfume of rosehip, wild raspberry, and cinnamon spice. Revealing notes of dried flowers, cranberry, and tea leaf, the palate offers pretty character and weightlessness, although it certainly has underlying structure that is not to be overlooked. For lovers of Burgundy. this is a killer wine to have in the mix. Drink it over the next 10 or more years. Located in Fort Ross, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, David Hirsch purchased his estate in 1978 and planted his first vines in 1980. The 2019 vintage, which was predominantly what was shown to me, marks the first vintage with his daughter, Jasmine Hirsch, taking the lead as winemaker for the estate. They have been practicing biodynamic viticulture since 2011 and were fully converted over in 2014. Their focus and attention is on the site, resulting in wines that offer elegance and purity, with transparency in regard to their sense of place.

Medium ruby-purple, the 2019 Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault is scented of cranberries, blackberries, forest floor and conifer, lemon peel and Angostura bitters. The light-bodied palate is delicate yet intense with a deep core of red fruit, a fine, powdery texture, seamless acidity and long finish.

The San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir is often the highest-volume wine from the Hirsch portfolio, though in the 2019 vintage there was slightly more of the Bohan-Dillon blend. The San Andreas Pinot is made as a blend of selections from throughout the Hirsch vineyard and is meant to represent the property as a whole. The geological phenomenon known as the San Andreas Fault created the Sonoma Coastal Mountains in which Hirsch is grown, and runs through the property itself, thus the cuvée name. Made entirely from estate fruit and biodynamically farmed. 12% whole cluster. 38% new oak with 10 months' oak ageing. There is nice nuance here and a complex of red fruits, savoury notes, resinous forest elements, and a powdered-sugar accent – the flavour without the sweetness. The wine has more tactile tannin presence and a ton of length compared with the Bohan-Dillon or the Family Blend. Nice focus on freshness and acidity. A sense of transparency to site. Tactile tannin though approachable – palate-cleansing. Again, this feels like a lighter focus in terms of extraction compared with what I have seen in the past from Hirsch but still with plenty of structure. It feels like it respects the wildness of its mountain origins while bringing enough refinement to the table. This will do well with a meal. (ECB)