Log in / Sign up Hirsch San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir 2022
Over 40 years of farming and winemaking on the True Sonoma Coast, David Hirsch’s accumulated wisdom has shown us that the dominant influence on our farming and winemaking is the San Andreas Fault, which lies just half a mile from the Hirsch Vineyard. The wine that captures the complexity and energy of this geologic phenomenon is our San Andreas Fault Estate Pinot Noir, the wine that David calls “the Hirsch Hirsch”.
Hirsch Vineyards is comprised of 72 acres, divided into 67 individual farming blocks, corresponding to the dramatic and sudden changes in soil and aspect created by the Fault. This degree of fragmentation is unmatched even by the famously subdivided vineyards of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. The vineyard has a fearsome diversity of soils, aspects, elevations and microclimates. This complexity defines our farming and winemaking practices: each block was individually developed and is now farmed, harvested and vinified separately.
The San Andreas Fault is Hirsch’s signature Pinot Noir and is crafted to represent the entirety of this multifaceted vineyard. The 2022 San Andreas Fault has fruit from 28 distinct farming blocks. It is the flagship wine from Hirsch, and the wine that represents the summation of our complex vineyard.
Salmon, pork, or duck
The 2022 San Andreas is classic, elegant and consummately Hirsch. The nose evokes our wild coastal mountains, with aromatics of dried sage, wild mint and wet stone adding interest to notes of Bing cherry and Alpine strawberries. There’s a hint of the Pacific Ocean in its mineral, saline character.
The palate is juicy, fresh and high-toned, with lithe tannins and a very long finish. This wine is showing very well upon release, although we do recommend giving it an hour of air before drinking.
