2021 Hirsch Pinot Noir Block 8

The 2021 Pinot Noir Block 8 was planted a couple of years after the East Ridge and West Ridge vineyards on soils with high iron content, which comes through as a sanguine tone in the wine with notes of blood orange and mouthwatering saline lift. In the glass, it pours a rich ruby red color and offers aromas of orange peel, wild lavender, grenadine, and cedar. Medium-bodied, it has an outstanding concentration of fruit without any excess weight, offering ripe, structured tannins, a persistent mineral undercurrent, and an incredibly long finish. This is an incredible wine with tremendous appeal to enjoy over the next 15-20 years. Located in Fort Ross, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, David Hirsch purchased his estate in 1978 and planted his first vines in 1980. His daughter Jasmine Hirsch took over as winemaker with the 2019 vintage. They have been practicing biodynamic viticulture since 2011 and were fully converted over in 2014. Their focus and attention are on the site, resulting in wines that offer elegance and purity, with transparency in regard to their sense of place. While I have been a fan of these wines for a long time, they are continuing to push the bar higher and higher, slowly evolving their style to find balance and a new level of completeness in the resulting wines today. For readers who have not checked in on the Hirsch wines in a while, I would highly encourage you to seek these 2021s out.