MAGNUM - 2016 Hirsch 'Raschen Ridge' Estate Pinot Noir

The 2016 Pinot Noirs are graced with the long, supple tannins that are a hallmark of our wines. The lengthy growing season and cool, sunny weather imparted notable fruit character to the wines. They are concentrated but elegant: the fruit is vertical, rather than horizontal.

Explosive red fruit is backed by kinetic tannins in the 2016 Raschen Ridge. It is very expressive already, but it remains a young wine: the concentrated fruit is still a bit one-dimensional. It will gain in complexity and interest with a few years in the cellar. Resist the temptation to drink now and cellar for a least a few more years.

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