Pinot Noir 'Sonoma Coast - San Andreas'

Score

96

"Two plates created the California coastal mountains and the Central Valley, a former inland sea. The fault line is a mere kilometre from Hirsch Vineyards. San Andreas is the only wine Hirsch made for the first few years; this has fruit from 30 of the 60 parcels; it's the flagship and the largest production of Hirsch bottling—loads of savoury spice aromas with wild herbs, white pepper, mint and green strawberries. The palate shows tension and tautness. Bright red berries and citrus peel meld with dark red plums, smoky cinnamon and a touch of an evergreen bough, brightening the fruity complexity."

Score

96

"So much fresh flowers with hibiscus and honey blossom. Dried citrus like lemon zest. Medium-bodied with fine tannins that are super integrated. Zesty finish. Lots of focus and beauty. The tannins are perfectly melted into the wine. Drinkable but even better in two to three years."

Score

94

"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."

Score

93

"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."

Score

93

"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."