Hirsch Vineyards

The San Andreas Fault has formed and defines Hirsch Vineyards which now range over 72 acres in 67 different blocks that are biodynamic since 2014. 

When David Hirsch first purchased the land in 1978, it was a sheep ranch. He planted the vines in 1980, making it one of the oldest vineyards of the True Sonoma Coast. By the early 1990s, the vineyards had become a sought-after source for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes in California, and wineries such as Littorai, Williams Selyem, Kistler and Failla all made Hirsch-designated wines. In 2002, after 22 years focused on planting and farming, David Hirsch made the decision to build a winery and start making his own wines. The primary motivation was to provide feedback to his farming decision. He wanted to taste each parcel individually, to better understand the nature of each plot’s unique soil and climate, the conditions of the vintage, and consequences of his farming decisions. Next to that, building the winery would provide resources for the ecological healing of the ranch.  In 2011, they started to convert the vineyards to biodynamic viticulture and by 2014 all 72 acres of the vines as well as the gardens and orchards were fully biodynamic. 

Hirsch vineyards are located within the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA (American Viticultural Area), which is wholly enclosed within the West Sonoma Coast AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview is one of the smallest AVA’s in the United States, and is a highly specific growing area. It is distinguished by its close proximity to the Pacific Ocean, high rainfall, ruggedness of the terrain, and the highest elevations on the coast. The AVA was granted official status in 2012, although the oldest planting, the Bohan vineyard dates from the 1970s. Hirsch, Hellenthal and Wild Hog were all planted in the early 1980s. The Sonoma Coast AVA is one of the largest AVA’s in California and stretches forty miles inland at a certain point. To demarcate the truly maritime parts of the AVA, the West Sonoma Coast Vintners Association was founded in 2010. It aims to preserve and protect the history, landscape and culture of the West Sonoma Coast, and to promote the region’s wines. In 2022, the West Sonoma Coast AVA was officially recognised. 

Operationally, the emphasis is on gentle, but thorough, fruit handling. The fruit is sorted twice: once in the field as it’s picked, and again in the winery. The winery employs both destemmed and whole cluster fermentations; the choice depends upon the individual block and the vintage. There are dozens of small open top fermentation tanks that match the size of the individual vineyards, so fruit from one field is not mixed with another. After fermentation, the wine is aged in French and Austrian oak barrels, with an average of around 30% new for the Pinot Noir and 20% for the Chardonnay. Blending happens block by block and also barrel by barrel. Each step moves according to its own timetable. 

In the wines of Hirsch Vineyards you find a natural balance and consistency in the harmonious resolution of these opposites. Acidic complexity and the balance of tannins and fruit distinguish the wines. In most vintages they are drinkable soon after release; yet, due to their structure and natural balance there is the potential for extended cellaring. 

The wines from Hirsch Vineyards give the passionate drinker an experience of the clash of opposites meeting in Nature and Life: the eviternal grinding of the North American and Pacific plates along the San Andreas Fault; the wet winter and dry summers caused by the ocean and desert climates; the dripping rainforest and parched pastures; the contact and intermingling of cultures: Native American, Mexican, Russian, European; the change in rural economy from logging and ranching to winegrowing. 

Jasmine Hirsch, co-founder of “In Pursuit of Balance” is currently in charge of running the winery:

“I can’t remember when I last reacted to tasting a new wine by getting into my car and setting off to find the vineyard…It was a stout Cortez moment. We sipped. We looked at each other with a wild surmise. Purity of fruit, firmness of purpose, a sense of place to set my satnav spinning. This was Pinot Noir of a kind I had never seen, and didn’t expect to see, in California. Nor in Burgundy, for that matter, I simply had to go and see where it came from.” Hugh Johnson, “Seduction along fault lines and whale paths”. 

The World of Fine Wine Issue 48/2015.