2015 Hirsch 'San Andreas Fault' Estate Pinot Noir

“The most significant terroir in our case is the San Andreas Fault, earthquake terroir.” – David Hirsch

David Hirsch often says that our greatest asset is time: time for the farmer to learn his land, for the winemaker to understand how to work with the grapes, and for the wines to age in bottle.

Over 37 years of farming and winemaking on the True Sonoma Coast, his 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”.

Lying adjacent to the San Andreas Fault on the extreme western Sonoma Coast, Hirsch Vineyards is comprised of 72 acres, divided into 67 individual farming blocks. The resulting degree of fragmentation is unmatched even by the famously subdivided vineyards of Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits. Due to the site’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean and the San Andreas Fault, 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. The 2015 San Andreas Fault has fruit from 17 distinct farming blocks. It is the flagship wine from Hirsch, and the wine that represents the summation of our complex vineyard.