Winemaker's Notes
This might have been bottled as another ‘diaphanous’ Hirsch, except that I liked it better with a small a percentage of one of the parts of the young Fort Ross Pinot Noir vineyard blended in. It would be easier to market this wine as the famous Hirsch vineyard designate (and for more $$)but I would have always wished that I had blended it instead. It is the product of rigorous selection and brutal declassification that tends to drive growers nuts. Alas, it is also our last vintage from Hirsch for the foreseeable future. Like the 1999 Hirsch ‘Diaphanous’, there is the telltale sassafras, delicate mid-palate of red fruits and toasty/earthiness. Unlike our highly structured 1999 Sonoma Coast during its youth, this 2001 Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir has a delicate, graceful, lingering finish which lasts surprisingly long.
Judi Scherrer –
Wine & Spirits – January 2004
A cool spice carries straight through this wine, more generous in its herbal and mineral tones than in any direct fruit character. Red fruit comes forward along with a more complex mineral character as the wine takes on air. Coastal in its cool length, the spiciness and structure will take on roast suckling pig. 91 points. Joshua Greene
Judi Scherrer –
Pinot Report – August 2003
Medium ruby red color, complex aromas of spice, black cherry and bacon; rich and bright with a silky mouthfeel, black cherry and toasty oak are the prominent features; good acidity and structure, nicely balanced with a lingering finish. Fred Scherrer’s Sonoma Coast bottling is made in a balanced style with plenty of pretty fruit and spice – a great match for a hearty meal. 89 points. Greg Walter
Judi Scherrer –
Saveur – June 2004
Chalky potpourri and lightly stewed red berries; layered, silken, and almost delicate on the palate, with bay, lavender, licorice, and hits of orange peel.