2021 Vineyards Pinot Noir Maritime
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Tasting notes
Hirsch did not produce Maritime in 2020 due to smoke, but the 2021 Pinot Noir Maritime offers great aromatics influenced by the Maritime Fields where it originates. The estate’s highest-elevation vineyard, it sits above the Pacific Ocean and is surrounded by redwoods and wild fennel, which certainly seem to impact the wine’s bouquet. It has an incredible nose of wild minty herbs, violets, cherry liqueur, and wet stones. Medium to full-bodied on the palate, it offers great, snappy energy, angular but fully ripe tannins, and a mouthwatering finish with notes of cranberry. It’s a fantastically structured wine that will benefit from another few years in bottle. Drink 2025-2040. Located in Fort Ross, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, David Hirsch purchased his estate in 1978 and planted his first vines in 1980. His daughter Jasmine Hirsch took over as winemaker with the 2019 vintage. They have been practicing biodynamic viticulture since 2011 and were fully converted over in 2014. Their focus and attention are on the site, resulting in wines that offer elegance and purity, with transparency in regard to their sense of place. While I have been a fan of these wines for a long time, they are continuing to push the bar higher and higher, slowly evolving their style to find balance and a new level of completeness in the resulting wines today. For readers who have not checked in on the Hirsch wines in a while, I would highly encourage you to seek these 2021s out.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2021 Pinot Noir Maritime opens dramatically as it spends time in the glass, beginning with raspberry, blackberry and rosewater, then opening to nuances of shiitake mushrooms, wild fennel, dried earth and chaparral. The medium-bodied palate features layered flavors that echo the complexity of its aromas. It's framed by finely chalky tannins and shimmery acidity, and it has a very long, nuanced finish.
The 2021 Pinot Noir Maritime is another stellar wine in this range. Dark fruit and imposing tannins are some of the signatures that give the Maritime its distinctive personality. It's one of the more complete and beguiling wines in this range. Sage, menthol, licorice, black cherry and lavender add myriad shades of complexity.
Pale ruby in colour. Dark cherry, sweet black plum and woodsy notes on the nose with a sweet, orange-peel, spice note. Silty, fine tannin lends texture while the high acidity drives the wine and carries a long, red-fruited finish – pomegranate and cranberry. Lingering salinity. (SCJ)