2018 Hirsch Estate Chardonnay

As with all the wines from Hirsch, the purpose of our Chardonnay is to bring you a transparent expression of this unique vineyard site. Through our farming and winemaking, we strive to bring the acidity and minerality of the site forward, with fruit and oak playing a secondary role. With less than 4 acres of Chardonnay vines, production is very limited, and 100% of the fruit is kept for the Estate.

Our first Chardonnay vineyard was planted in 1994. That year, David Hirsch prepared 2.5 acres for planting on a rocky, 40% slope above his house. He was enamored with Barolo and had the crazy idea to put in Nebbiolo. Burt Williams, who has begun buying our Pinot Noir fruit for his winery Williams Selyem, told David he was nuts and should plant Chardonnay instead. Thus the old Chardonnay vineyard was born. The cuttings came from Joe Rochioli. Williams Selyem made the wine from 1997 to 2000; Kistler took the fruit through 2005. In 2002 David planted an additional 1.4 acres of Chardonnay on a sandstone hill in field 12, just over the hill from the old chardonnay vineyard. Together these two tiny plantings comprise our Estate Chardonnay, produced since 2006.

2018 was one of the coolest growing seasons in the last decade. A foggy mid-summer gave way at the perfect time to sunny, breezy weather with remarkably cool temperatures. These ideal conditions gifted us with a long maturation period, resulting in wines of elegance, freshness and fruit concentration.  The 2018 Chardonnay has a fresh, laser-like acidity, backed by the depth and texture that define this wine.