2004 was a trial and a challenge for the vines, the farmer, fieldworkers and winemaker. We are very pleased with the result and trust you will participate in this reward. For it is you, the wine drinker, who completes the chain of growth, maturation, harvest, and dormancy; and the companion cycle of fruit processing, fermentation, aging, bottling and consumption. In the bottle, in the glass is contained the fullness of life, death, and renewal.
The vines leafed out early in 2004 due to record heat in early March; growth was slowed by a cool and dry spring. Bloom began 4/27 and the crop did not set until the first week of June. June was hot; July cooled off; but the heat shot up 8/8 and lasted until mid-September. We began harvesting 8/17(a record early date) and finished up 9/10, earliest finish in our history. A very imperfect year in terms of even fruit development, fruit weight per bunch and vine, and veraison. In July an extended period of intense morning fog with heavy dew caused mildew and botrytis in the vigorous vine canopy. At harvest we had to hand sort in the field every bunch in the infected blocks. No doubt punishment for past sins.
The fruit was picked into small lugs that were moved at once from field to cool room. It was sorted before and after destemming so every bunch and berry(!) was checked before loading into the open top fermenters. Fermentation was by native yeast and went well. The first lots were pressed off and barreled down on 9/22. 50% new French oak was used. The wine responded well in the cellar. Barrel tasting of the ten lots revealed an unusually rapid evolution into an integrated wine, On 1/24/05 our winemaker Mark racked by hand to tank without filtering. The result: a beautiful wine with the color and clarity of brilliant rubies. A week later all 849 cases were bottled on one very long day. To the fullest extent possible, all our ability, resources, experience, and care went into the production of the 2004 fruit and wine.
The 2004 Wines
In 2004 we produced only one wine at Hirsch Vineyards. As David Hirsch wrote in this vintage’s release letter, it is a “wine of profound depth, great focus and clarity, an enchanting radiance, and explosive aromatics. A wine as long in its expression as that freight train winding through the dark countryside.”
In 2004, we produced the following wines at Hirsch Vineyards:
The decision to put all 35 barrels into one cuvée was made after a series of blind tasting trials clearly showed that the best expression of our site in 2004 was one blend. In fact, we tried subtracting some of the barrels that seemed uncomplimentary, and the difference was negative: the whole is definitely greater than the sum of its parts. The wine reflects in its structure the complexity of the site.
849 cs produced, 14.3% alc, 3.48 pH
Journal
2004 Hirsch Release Letter
