2016 Hirsch 'Raschen Ridge' Estate Pinot Noir
Terroir is within the site; we do not impose it. Our responsibility is to listen and be ready when it shows itself.
The Raschen Ridge Pinot Noir is the result of this observation and patience. Year after year we tasted these blocks, confirming that indeed, this was a singular expression within the Hirsch Vineyard that should be bottled on its own. Finally in 2014 we made the first vintage of this wine.
Made from the highest elevation vineyards at Hirsch, the Raschen Ridge is where our marine, riverine and continental climates meet, merging heat & coolness, moisture and dryness, uplift and erosion. The wine is itself an exercise in resolved opposites: sexy and serious, drinkable and age-worthy, for both the hedonist and the collector.
Henry Raschen (1854–1937) was a painter of the American West who lived on the ranch that is now Hirsch Vineyards. Old-timers called our ranch the Raschen Place, and Henry’s house stood here until 1954.
Vine age breakdown:
13% - planted 1996
73% - planted 2002-03
13% - planted 2007-11