The Hirsch family credits the fault line running through their estate for the jumble of geology, a complex puzzle they have worked to solve by dividing their 72 acres of vines into 67 farming blocks. San Andreas is their estate blend, an overview that Jasmine Hirsch blended from 34 of those blocks in 2021.
It was a dry season on the far coast, with 30 percent less rain than in a normal year; the sunny weather was relatively mild, with few days over 90 degrees. The fruit was ripe by late August, just as September began to cool; the harvest crew at Hirsch picked all of its fruit in two weeks.
The San Andreas blend shows beautiful integration, its time in oak having brought all of those elements together in brooding harmony. It has the dark richness of fruity forest mushrooms over a complex matrix of fruit, taking those darker tones into brighter notes of strawberry and rhubarb. Fine, spicy and lasting.
93
Hirsch 2021 Sonoma Coast San Andreas Fault Pinot Noir
$65
Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.
Joshua Greene is the editor and publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine.
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