Our Estate Chardonnay is the only white wine produced at Hirsch. With less than four acres of Chardonnay vines, production is highly limited. Vine age, dramatic soils, and our extreme maritime climate combine to create a wine of dazzling acidity, silky texture and pronounced minerality.
As with all our wines, our intention with the Chardonnay is to express the site, and winemaking is minimal. The grapes are direct pressed and transferred to oak barrels, 25-30% new, for fermentation and elevage. No yeast is added at any point. Primary and malolactic fermentations occur in barrel, and no lees stirring is employed.
In 1994 David Hirsch prepared 2.5 acres for planting on a rocky, 40% slope in Block 10. He was enamored with Barolo and intended to plant Nebbiolo. Burt Williams, who was buying our Pinot Noir grapes for his winery Williams Selyem, told David he was nuts and should plant Chardonnay instead. Thus the old Chardonnay vineyard was born. The cuttings came from Joe Rochioli; Williams Selyem made the wine from 1997 to 2000; Kistler took the fruit through 2005. In 2002 David planted an additional 1.4 acres of Chardonnay on a sandstone hill in Block 12, just over the hill from Block 10. Together these two tiny vineyards comprise our estate Chardonnay.
