Hirsch Vineyards, Pinot Noir East Ridge Sonoma Coast 2021

Variety: Pinot Noir

Stand above the fog line and glimpse the power of the Pacific at 1500 ft. elevation and you’ll begin to understand what attracted David Hirsch to his extreme site back in 1980. Hirsch was not born into the wine world. Rather he was a lover of pinot noir, more specifically Burgundy, to which I can very much relate. Buying and selling textiles between the US and France, he reached a turning point. The lure of a quiet farm life with his family brought him to Fort-Ross Seaview, on the Sonoma coast, just three hours from San Francisco. The property sits on a ridgeline, cleared of redwoods and fir trees with a climate that is incredibly coastal. Straddling the San Andreas Fault, the soils are intensely complex. Most world class vineyard sites are known for only having a few soils. Hirsch, on the other hand, has 44 different soil types. It should come as no surprise that this is one of the most expressive and important vineyards in the US.

David Hirsch began planting the East Ridge in 1990. It is a topographically distinct microsite within the Hirsch Vineyard, sloping steeply into an eastern canyon. Fog gathers in the canyon at night; and during the day, the cool ocean breezes circulate amongst the vines. However, it is often the first place the fog burns off in the morning, making it a relatively warmer site compared with the rest of Hirsch.