David Hirsch, a pioneering winegrower on the extreme northern Sonoma Coast, died Tuesday of respiratory failure in Santa Rosa following a two-week hospitalization. He was 81.
In 1978, Hirsch bought a 1,000-acre sheep ranch on a ridge-top overlooking the Pacific in the Fort Ross appellation. The site would go on to become Hirsch Vineyards, a 77-acre Biodynamic parcel prized for its energetic Chardonnay and structured Pinot Noir.
While Hirsch wasn’t the first to plant grapes on the Sonoma Coast, his fruit became synonymous with high-profile labels like Littorai, Williams Selyem, Kistler and Cobb Wines — earning the untamed wine region a world-class reputation.
“People thought my dad was crazy when he decided to plant grapes up there,” said his daughter, Jasmine Hirsch. “They said it was way too cold and he’d never get his grapes ripe.”…