Hirsch Vineyards

David Hirsch (1944-2026) was born in the Bronx and received a scholarship to Columbia University before dropping out after a year. In the 1970s, while working in the garment industry, he traveled frequently to Paris and took the train to Burgundy, where he fell in love with Pinot Noir. In 1978 he purchased a 1,000-acre sheep ranch near Fort Ross and Cazadero, three miles from the Pacific Ocean, for $425,000. On the advice of viticulturist Jim Beauregard, he planted 1 acre of Pinot Noir and 2 acres of Riesling in 1980. Hirsch left the garment industry in the late 1980s to farm full time, planting 44 acres at the ranch between 1990 and 1997 and another 27 acres in 2002 and 2003. He began selling fruit to Kistler, Williams Selyem and Littorai in 1994. In 2002, wanting to taste each of his farming blocks individually, Hirsch built a winery on the ranch and bottled his first estate vintage with winemaker Vanessa Wong, a partner in Peay Vineyards. David Hirsch died in 2026.

• Land purchased 1978 for $425,000; first vines (1 acre Pinot Noir, 2 acres Riesling) planted 1980 on the advice of Jim Beauregard
• Left the garment industry in the late 1980s to farm full time; planted 44 acres from 1990 to 1997 and another 27 acres in 2002 and 2003
• Began selling fruit to Kistler, Williams Selyem and Littorai in 1994
• First estate vintage bottled 2002 with winemaker Vanessa Wong, following completion of the on-site winery
• David Hirsch died in 2026

Hirsch Vineyards occupies 1,000 acres in the far northwestern edge of Sonoma County, of which 72 acres are vineyard and the rest remains undeveloped wilderness. Those 72 vineyard acres are divided into 60 separate parcels, each farmed under its own regimen because of dramatic soil variation across the property. The property is hilly and rugged and punctuated by the San Andreas Fault, and David Hirsch referred to the resulting soil mosaic as 'earthquake terroir.' Hirsch planted his vineyard between 1,300 and 1,600 feet elevation, according to a 2003 letter he submitted as part of the petition for the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, which he co-authored with geographer Patrick L. Shabram. The Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, located along the Pacific coast about 65 miles north-northwest of San Francisco, was established December 13, 2011, as the nation's 201st, the state's 124th, and Sonoma County's sixteenth appellation. Eleven years later, the TTB established the larger West Sonoma Coast AVA, and Fort Ross-Seaview became a sub-appellation within it.

• 1,000-acre property; 72 acres planted to vines across 60 separately farmed parcels, the remainder left as wilderness
• Vineyard planted between 1,300 and 1,600 feet elevation, per Hirsch's own 2003 letter submitted to the AVA petition
• San Andreas Fault runs near the property; David Hirsch called the resulting soil variation 'earthquake terroir'
• Fort Ross-Seaview AVA established December 13, 2011, with David Hirsch as co-petitioner alongside geographer Patrick L. Shabram
• West Sonoma Coast AVA established eleven years later; Fort Ross-Seaview is now a sub-appellation of it

Vineyard manager Everardo Robledo grafted two acres of the original Riesling planting over to Pinot Noir in 1989 and has worked alongside the Hirsch family since. David Hirsch began converting the vineyard to biodynamic farming in 2011. Jasmine Hirsch, David's daughter, joined the family business in 2008. She stepped into the general manager role in 2015 after David Hirsch was injured in a tractor accident, and took over the winemaking beginning with the 2019 vintage. Michael Cruse, a trained winemaker and a former Chronicle Winemaker of the Year, helped guide her through that first harvest.

• Vineyard manager Everardo Robledo grafted 2 acres of the original Riesling to Pinot Noir in 1989 and has farmed alongside the family since
• Biodynamic conversion of the vineyard began in 2011
• Jasmine Hirsch joined the family business in 2008, became general manager in 2015 after David Hirsch's tractor-accident injury, and took over winemaking with the 2019 vintage
• Michael Cruse, a trained winemaker and former Chronicle Winemaker of the Year, mentored Jasmine Hirsch through her first harvest as winemaker

Hirsch wines are assembled from individual lots selected out of more than 60 vineyard blocks, each farmed and vinified separately. The West Ridge Pinot Noir draws on plant material from Mount Eden and Swan selections along with the original Wadenswil and Pommard material David Hirsch planted in 1980. In 2019, Jasmine Hirsch introduced a new bottling called Maritime, isolating grapes from a section of the property with younger vines and richer soils; the 2019 Maritime retailed for $75 and is softer and less tannic than the wine from the adjacent East Ridge parcel. The following year she introduced the winery's first rose, made in a deep, sturdy mauve style rather than the pale Provencal style; the 2021 vintage retailed for $45. Bohan-Dillon is a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir bottling in the Hirsch lineup. Ross Cobb, founder of Cobb Wines, was Hirsch's winemaker from 2010 to 2015; Mark Doherty held the role through 2009, and Anthony Filiberti departed in 2018 after three harvest seasons. Though the vineyard and winery are located in Cazadero, Hirsch Vineyards has a tasting room in Healdsburg.

• Wines are assembled from individual lots out of 60-plus separately farmed and vinified blocks
• West Ridge Pinot Noir: Mount Eden and Swan selections plus the original 1980 Wadenswil and Pommard plantings
• Maritime Pinot Noir (introduced 2019 by Jasmine Hirsch, $75 for the 2019 vintage): younger vines and richer soils, softer and less tannic than the adjacent East Ridge parcel
• Rose (introduced 2020, $45 for the 2021 vintage): deep, sturdy mauve style rather than pale Provencal style
• Bohan-Dillon: a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir bottling in the lineup
• Winemakers: Vanessa Wong (2002), Mark Doherty (through 2009), Ross Cobb (2010-2015), Anthony Filiberti (through 2018), Jasmine Hirsch (2019-present)

Hirsch Vineyards' fruit became synonymous with high-profile labels including Littorai, Williams Selyem, Kistler and Cobb Wines, helping earn the Sonoma Coast a world-class reputation. David Hirsch's success drew more growers to the coast, including Peay Vineyards, Marcassin, Flowers, Failla, Fort Ross Vineyard, Rivers-Marie and Cobb Wines. He was a co-petitioner for the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, established in 2011, cementing the estate's role in defining the region on paper as well as in the glass. The estate's continuity now rests with Jasmine Hirsch, who leads both the vineyard and the winemaking her father began.

• Hirsch fruit underpins vineyard-designate bottlings from Littorai, Williams Selyem, Kistler and Cobb Wines
• David Hirsch's plantings helped draw growers including Peay Vineyards, Marcassin, Flowers, Failla, Fort Ross Vineyard and Rivers-Marie to the coast
• Co-petitioner for the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA, established December 13, 2011
• Family continuity: Jasmine Hirsch has led the business as general manager since 2015 and as winemaker since 2019

Secondary sources: https://www.pressdemocrat.com/2026/07/30/david-hirsch-a-pioneering-winegrower-on-the-extreme-sonoma-coast-has-died/, https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/david-hirsch-wine-obituary-22365460.php, https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/wine/article/jasmine-hirsch-winemaker-17743972.php, https://www.wineandspiritsmagazine.com/feature-story/wine-features/david-hirsch-the-seminal-pinot-noir-grower-of-the-far-sonoma-coast, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Ross-Seaview_AVA. Last verified 2026-09-14. Where the producer's site and a secondary source disagree, the producer's site governs.