In 1980, David Hirsch was the first to intuit that the true Sonoma Coast (near Fort Ross) might just be California’s sweet spot for Pinot Noir. It’s not easy work, though - the vineyards here face every direction on every possible kind of soil, and are battered by extreme weather year-round. Fortunately, these are patient people, and they work with the land to get fruit with fascinating complexities. There’s pomegranate and cherry and orange flavors with weight and tannin along with more delicate coastal flower and limey salt air. A preposterous wine for its price.
