MAGNUM - 2011 Hirsch 'San Andreas Fault' Estate Pinot Noir

From the beginning, the 2011 San Andreas was a hedonistic wine: highly quaffable, with concentrated yet lively fruit. With time, this wine has evolved into a more sophisticated version of its young self. The fruit has gained more depth, notes of orange peel and bergamot have emerged, and the tannins have gentled. This wine is an absolute joy to drink. Drink now or within 2-5 years.

Over 39 years of farming and winemaking on the True Sonoma Coast, David Hirsch’s accumulated wisdom has shown us that the dominant influence on our farming and winemaking is the San Andreas Fault, which lies just half a mile from the Hirsch Vineyard. The wine that captures the complexity, power and energy of this geologic phenomenon is our San Andreas Fault Estate Pinot Noir, the wine that David calls “the Hirsch Hirsch”.

Hirsch Vineyards is comprised of 72 acres, divided into 67 individual farming blocks, corresponding to the dramatic and sudden changes in soil and aspect created by the Fault. This degree of fragmentation is unmatched even by the famously subdivided vineyards of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. The vineyard has a fearsome diversity of soils, aspects, elevations and microclimates. This complexity defines our farming and winemaking practices: each block was individually developed and is now farmed, harvested and vinified separately.

The San Andreas Fault is Hirsch Vineyards’ signature pinot noir and is crafted to represent the entirety of this multifaceted vineyard. It is the flagship wine from Hirsch, and the wine that represents the summation of our complex vineyard.