David Hirsch's Vineyard er et gigantisk puslespil i jorden. På en højderyg ved 1.500 fod kun 5 kilometer fra Stillehavet, slanger vinstokke sig ned ad stejle skråninger og langs fjeldsider. Vandet er synlige gennem huller i redwoodtræer, i det mindste imellem pauser i regn og tåge. Hvis der nogensinde var en vingård på kanten af grunden, ville det være denne.
Men denne ridgetop udenfor Cazadero er hjemsted for nogle af Californiens mest overraskende Pinot Noir. I starten, fik David Hirsch et ry som den første producent til at henlede opmærksomheden på seriøs vin af druer på den ydre Sonoma Coast, nord for Russian River. Selv om det kan have været lidt held, står Hirsch fast her, og hans nabolag har vokset op til at være Guldkysten for Californien Pinot Noir: Flowers, Marcassin, og Martinelli´s berømte Blue Slide Ridge blev alle plantet i nærheden.
For alt deres anerkendelse, forbliver Hirsch's succes lidt af et mysterium, i det mindste på overfladen. For i de fleste af de 30 år han har forsøgt at afkode et vildt virvar af undergrund, der omfatter klipper af alle typer blandet med alt fra porøse sandsten til uigennemtrængeligt ler. Det førte ham til at dele sin 71 hektar vinmarker i 60 forskellige blokke, hver med sin egen jord signatur, hver opdrættet på egen hånd. "Hvis du er fokuseret på terroir," siger han, "skal du se efter hvad der sker under jorden."
En sådan mangel på konsekvens er yderst sjælden blandt vinmarker, hvilket gør stedet svært at forstå. Som hans vinmager, Mark Doherty udtrykker det: "Der er ingen elevator historie." Den bedste sammenligning, uundgåeligt, kunne være de uendelige marker i Bourgogne, hvor kvalitet er blevet gættet række efter række, men først efter århundreder har de forstået hvad de havde med at gøre.
Men for Hirsch, der arbejder for at afkode ens egen jord er i høj grad en vinmagers opgave. Som inspiration nævner han ingen anden end Aubert de Villaine ejer af Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Modenhed er sjældent et problem. Hirsch starter typisk vælge mellem slutningen af august og slutningen af september.
"Med al respekt for de millioner af ord skrevet om effekten af den californiske kyst klima, vil jeg sige, at der er en masse hokus pokus omkring det," siger han. "Den mest betydningsfulde terroir i vores tilfælde er San Andreas-forkastningen."
Det tog Hirsch næsten to årtier at nå frem til denne konklusion. I 1998 hærgede en våd sæson en mark, hvor magnesium-tung lerjord producerede vin med stor kraft, men lateral rødder. Disse overfladiske rødder blev jordslåede i den fugtige jord. "Hvad jeg indså var, er at vi skulle begynde at løse vores problemer på stedet," siger Hirsch.
Så han trykkede på reset-knappen. En jord-specialist tilbragte 18 måneder med at grave huller. Hirsch og hans vineyard manager, Everardo Robledo, begyndte at plante dusinvis af nye blokke i 27 acres. De afbalancerede mineralindholdet ved hjælp af alternative formler udviklet af forskeren William Albrecht, derefter omhyggeligt drænede vand ned i undergrund til rødderne. Nu bliver hver blok behandlet og høstet individuelt.
Denne kompleksitet er med til at forklare, hvorfor en signatur i glasset er så flygtig. Doherty vinificerer hver blok for Hirsch Pinot Noir separat, ved hjælp af naturligt forekommende gær. En prøve fra blok 8A-1-Pommard kloner lagres i nye egetræ, hvilket giver blomsteragtige noter og raffineret garvesyre. Den tilsvarende prøve fra blok 8A-2, kun et par meters afstand i vingården, er næsten standset ud i mineralske intensitet. Men Hirsch insisterer på, at den endelige blanding i 2006 er fra 33 blokke.
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| Pris: 325,00 DKK |
chardonnay(20)2008.jpg "Klik for stort billede") 2008 Hirsch Chardonnay: We are working with the chardonnay to learn how to use the variety as a lens into our site. For this reason you will find the focus is on the fruit’s natural acidity. We picked the grapes September 19-20. Fermentation was done 11% in fourteen-gallon glass demijohns; 53% in stainless steel tanks; and 36% in oak. Total new oak was 16%. When the ferment went dry, half of the stainless wine was racked to neutral oak for aging. This is a unique wine with an intense individuality derived from this place, especially the high gravel and sandstone content of the soils. Yet, it’s true to the variety.
Tasting notes: Citrus & lemon curd followed by earth, minerals, vanilla bean, caramel & a mélange of spices: the breath of a goddess! The palate shows apricot flesh & a rich creamy mouth feel. The structure is excellent & leads to a long distance finish.
2008 Hirsch Chardonnay - 596 cases bottled August 28, 2009. Alcohol: 15%; pH: 3.56; T/A: .88 |
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| Pris: 500,00 DKK |
| Lager antal: 24 |
PN(20)2005.jpg "Klik for stort billede") Ingen info, men 2005 var en uovertruffen årgang i Californien.
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| Pris: 380,00 DKK |
| Lager antal: 24 |
PN(20)2006.jpg "Klik for stort billede") 2006 HIRSCH VINEYARDS: Conventional wisdom has it that quality is incompatible with quantity. Pshaw! Try this rich, profound, and expressive product of our most fruitful vintage in nine years. (See the blending and clonal charts for details of provenance and complexity.)
There is a depth to this wine that suggests the mystery touched upon by all true to site wines. Since bottling, the wine has matured and evolved in to a multi-faceted pinot that will reward the discriminating taster and the casual drinker. Its balance and structure foretell a long cellar life with continued development.
Though 2296 cases in total were made, it is important to note that the largest of the 21 fermentation lots totaled only eight tons. (And it had to be fermented in two tanks since our largest will hold only 6.5 tons.) Eight tons yielded us 376 cases in 2006. The wines were not blended until the week before bottling. The Hirsch is a blend of ninety-eight percent estate fruit made in very small lots.
Tasting notes: Garnet. Primary fruit aromas have evolved to a bouquet of earth, leather and sandalwood, with a touch of baking spice. On the palate, mature plum, smoked meat, and mineral flavors dance with a velvet texture across the tongue, leading to an expansive finish of dark plum, espresso and hints of woodsmoke. A suave, seductive wine.
2006 HIRSCH VINEYARDS - 2296 cases bottled March 3-5, 2008; alcohol: 14.55%; pH: 3.77
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| Pris: 380,00 DKK |
| Lager antal: 48 |
PN(20)2007.jpg "Klik for stort billede") 2007 Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Pinot Noir: This is the wine that defines our work even as the San Andreas Fault defines our site. The 2007 is a wine of truly remarkable character in that it has a compact identity due to its balance, depth of fruit expression, and a potent focus: Like a laser with soul! And this potency is achieved with neither high alcohol nor intense extraction. It shows that true power derives from balance and focus, not might or sleight of hand tricks. Blended from twenty-six fermentation lots comprised of fruit of thirty-six farming blocks, it is the wine of the totality of this site in this great vintage.
Tasting notes: Overture of sour cherry, wild berries, plum, old cedar & caramel, leading to dried herbs, leather, cola, herbal notes & minerals with a creamy mahogany overlay. The palate is dry with layers of textures finishing with long, coated, persistent tannins that resonate in the throat for many minutes.
2007 Hirsch Vineyards San Andreas Pinot Noir - 1642 cases bottled June 17, 2009. Alcohol: 14%; pH: 3.67; T/A: .606
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| Pris: 325,00 DKK |
| Lager antal: 96 |
M(20)2007.jpg "Klik for stort billede") 2007 M: Of our three pinot cuvees, the M is the one we blend to reflect how the climate worked on the site and its vines that year. This great 2007 pinot noir is a blend of twenty-three barrels, of which fifty-two percent were from the 114 and 777 clones. These tend to bring more of the fruit to the core of the wine; yet the lineaments of acid and tannin are very evident and provide a vibrant frame for the body. This is a wine for serious pinot drinkers: keep out of the hands of children!
Tasting Notes: Deep ruby. Exotic spice top note, with layers of leather, cedar, earth, loganberry and raspberry. Rich flavors of plum and ripe berry evolve to a mouth-filling, silken mid-palate showing great finesse textually as the acid structure refreshes the palate and carries the flavors to a sustained, layered finish and the loamy earth notes return.
2007 M - 540 cases 1/30/09; alcohol: 13.9%; pH: 3.70;
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| Pris: 225,00 DKK |
Dillon.jpg "Klik for stort billede") 2008 BOHAN DILLON: From the start, the Bohan Dillon pinot has been the apple of our eye. Our goal is to make an affordable world-class wine that brings to your glass the full spectrum of the Hirsch Vineyards site and shows the traditional character of pinot noir. The 2008 Bohan Dillon is probably as good as it gets in terms of value. This estate wine is complex, balanced, and focused. And all this without any tricks: it is pure pinot noir and pure Hirsch.
2008 Hirsch Vineyards "Bohan Dillon"Pinot Noir - 2450 cases bottled May 2009. Alcohol: 14,3 %; pH: 3.60; T/A: .615
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