2021 Hirsch Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault
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Tasting notes
The 2021 Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault is the flagship wine for the estate and the first wine they ever produced. A blend from 35 parcels across the estate, it’s designed to capture the vintage character overall. On opening, the rich ruby-colored 2021 has a gorgeous floral bouquet with a beautifully perfumed nose of raspberry liqueur, roses, and fresh mossy earth. Medium-bodied, it’s silky through the palate, with elegant structure, and is already showing beautifully. Weightless, but with lovely density of fruit, it’s long on the palate and certainly captures the greatness of this vintage. Drink 2024-2036. Located in Fort Ross, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, David Hirsch purchased his estate in 1978 and planted his first vines in 1980. His daughter Jasmine Hirsch took over as winemaker with the 2019 vintage. They have been practicing biodynamic viticulture since 2011 and were fully converted over in 2014. Their focus and attention are on the site, resulting in wines that offer elegance and purity, with transparency in regard to their sense of place. While I have been a fan of these wines for a long time, they are continuing to push the bar higher and higher, slowly evolving their style to find balance and a new level of completeness in the resulting wines today. For readers who have not checked in on the Hirsch wines in a while, I would highly encourage you to seek these 2021s out.
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Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
From the middle part of West Sonoma Coast. Between 1,200 and 1,400 ft. Four different soils in their 45 acres and heavily forested. Ripens about two weeks earlier than Cobb because it’s higher and gets more sunshine. Different soils despite proximity. All biodynamic. Deepish cherry red. Deeper-flavoured and more luscious than the Cobb Coastlands Vineyard. Sweeter. (JR)
The 2021 Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault has very pure scents of blueberries, pomegranate, mushroom, damp earth and aniseed. The medium-bodied palate features concentrated, spicy flavors. It has a chalky texture, bright, gently tangy acidity and a long, layered finish. It will benefit from 2-3+ years in bottle.
The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate San Andreas Fault is a blend of thirty parcels across the vineyard. Vibrant and super-complex, the 2021 screams with precision right out of the gate. Dark red-toned fruit, dried herbs, mint and sage are some of the many notes that take shape in the glass. The purity of the flavors here is so compelling.