Winemaker Notes
The San Andreas Fault is the flagship wine from Hirsch and the wine that represents the summation of our complex vineyard. David Hirsch says that if you drink only one wine from Hirsch, let it be this one.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A homage to the great fault line near Hirsch, this pinot has a brambly, rich array of red cherries and some blue-fruit notes with fresh, sappy, forest aromas, too. The palate has plenty of punchy tannin and forthright, fresh, unwavering drive.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
This is the largest production cuvée in the Hirsch portfolio. Pale to medium ruby, the 2017 Pinot Noir San Andreas Fault has a delicately played nose with touches of cinnamon stick, dried leaves, perfumed earth and a mineral vein plus rose petal perfume, red berries and black fruit sparks. The palate is light to medium-bodied with delicate intensity and well-balanced fruit and earth character, knit by grainy tannins and juicy freshness, finishing long and nuanced.
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Wine & Spirits
Named for the local fault line that created the jumble of ridgetop soils at Hirsch, San Andreas is a blend from the varied parcels on the estate. It’s a rich, beefy wine in 2017, its substantial black-cherry flavors needing several days to show their complexity and smoky intensity. Powerful in the best sense, and in need of decanting if you open it now, this is built for a steak.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.