Hirsch Vineyards: The Birth of Extreme Sonoma Coast

How to Complete

3 steps curated by Wine Memories

1. 🍷 1

   Book the Estate Visit

   wine $$$

   Experience 72 acres of biodynamic vines at the edge of wilderness.

   Book at hirschvineyards.com - visits by appointment only. The drive itself is an experience - winding through redwood forests to emerge on ridges overlooking the Pacific. The 72 acres are farmed biodynamically and regeneratively. Ask about the 1980 planting story.

   🍷 Log Memory
2. 🍷 2

   Taste the Estate Pinot Noir

   wine $$$

   The flagship that made Hirsch a California grand cru.

   Request the estate Pinot Noir (around $90-110). This is the wine that earned Hirsch 'grand cru' status among California collectors. Notice the tension between fruit and earth - the maritime influence creates wines unlike inland Sonoma.

   🍷 Log Memory
3. ⛰️ 3

   Walk to the Pacific View

   adventure Free

   See why they call it "extreme" - the ocean is 3 miles away.

   Ask your host about viewpoints toward the Pacific. At 1,400 feet elevation, the ocean is visible on clear days. The climate is one of extremes - fog, wind, temperature swings. Understanding the environment is essential to understanding the wine.

   🍷 Log Memory

Insider Tips

• ✦

  The drive is remote and winding - allow extra time and fuel up beforehand

• ✦

  David Hirsch sold fruit to Kistler and Williams Selyem before making his own wine

• ✦

  Hirsch helped establish the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA in 2012 - carving out the 'true' Sonoma Coast

• ✦

  The climate is one of extremes - varying greatly week-to-week and season-to-season