97 Points Vinous
The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Reserve is a powerful, dense and tannic wine. In many ways, the Reserve is done more in the older Hirsch style, in which the tannins are quite imposing. Dark red-toned fruit, blood orange, dried herbs, spice, menthol and dried herbs fill out the layers. The Reserve is quite potent, but it does not have the textural finesse of the very finest wines in this range—although that is a pretty small quibble at this very high level.
 
My tasting at Hirsch was one of the most impressive I have had at any property anywhere in the world. The 2021s Pinots are off the charts. I have been critical of these wines in the past, when I felt they were reduced or too light. To be sure, Hirsch is a challenging site, a vineyard where wines can be overly tannic. Hirsch is also one of the very few estates in Fort Ross-Seaview where the wines are made on the property. Most other producers here send their fruit to facilities that are centrally located and, therefore, much more practical. To their credit, Jasmine Hirsch and Consulting Winemaker Michael Cruse have made all the right adjustments over the last few years. The 2021s were done with no stems, a departure from the past. Time on skins was 12-20 days, with a bit more extraction than what had been the norm previously. New oak is 30-35%, except for the Reserve, which sees about 40% new wood. Most of the wines were not racked until bottling. Two thousand twenty-one is quite simply a magical vintage for Hirsch. The wines I tasted were all magnificent, to the point that picking favorites is really a matter of personal preference more than anything else. Readers will not want to miss these extraordinary wines. Bravo!