'Undoubtedly one of the great vineyard sites in the United States'
Antonio Galloni
'This was Pinot Noir of a kind I had never seen and didn't expect to see, in California. Nor in Burgundy. My impression was of Pinot flavour at its most electrically alive.'
Hugh Johnson, The World of Fine Wine
Hirsch Vineyards is recognised as one of the finest Pinot Noir vineyards in the New World, described by the Wine Spectator as a “California grand cru". Founded by David Hirsch in 1980, it is the oldest premium Pinot Noir planting on the True Sonoma Coast, providing fruit over the years to Williams Selyem, Littorai, Kistler and many others. In 2002, with a full understanding of his vineyard gained over nearly 20 vintages, Hirsch decided to build a winery and bottle the best parcels of fruit under his own label.
'Undoubtedly one of the great vineyard sites in the United States'
Antonio Galloni
'This was Pinot Noir of a kind I had never seen and didn't expect to see, in California. Nor in Burgundy. My impression was of Pinot flavour at its most electrically alive.'
Hugh Johnson, The World of Fine Wine
Hirsch Vineyards is recognised as one of the finest Pinot Noir vineyards in the New World, described by the Wine Spectator as a “California grand cru". Founded by David Hirsch in 1980, it is the oldest premium Pinot Noir planting on the True Sonoma Coast, providing fruit over the years to Williams Selyem, Littorai, Kistler and many others. In 2002, with a full understanding of his vineyard gained over nearly 20 vintages, Hirsch decided to build a winery and bottle the best parcels of fruit under his own label.
There is huge complexity of soil and topography across the vineyard, with 67 individual blocks being picked and vinified separately each year. The process of farming to enable an early harvest has been honed over many vintages, ensuring terroir is never masked by ripeness, and delivering wines of refinement, grace and intensity of flavour without weight. Now fully biodynamic, winemaking has been decidedly hands-off from the outset, and the resulting Pinot Noir - more earthy, more savoury, and with a remarkable ability to age and develop in the cellar - are some of the most highly praised and sought after in the United States.
