Sonoma Coast Extreme Pinot Trail

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   Flowers Vineyards: Camp Meeting Ridge Pioneer

   Walt and Joan Flowers pioneered Camp Meeting Ridge in 1989 - planting Pinot Noir and Chardonnay at 1,400 feet elevation, 1.5 miles from the Pacific. When everyone said it was too cold and too remote, they proved otherwise. Today, Flowers is one of the most recognized names in extreme Sonoma Coast wine.

   winery $$$
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   Fort Ross-Seaview: California's Grand Cru Appellation

   In 2012, Hirsch and other winemakers carved 27,500 acres out of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation to create Fort Ross-Seaview AVA. The distinction: ridges, hills, and mountains at higher elevations along the Pacific. This is California's 'grand cru' district for Pinot Noir - where fog burns off and grapes achieve phenolic ripeness.

   adventure $$
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   Hirsch Vineyards: The Birth of Extreme Sonoma Coast

   David Hirsch went on a hunch in 1980 - that the remote ridges above Fort Ross would produce exceptional Pinot Noir. For years he sold fruit to Sonoma's elite (Kistler, Williams Selyem, Littorai). In 2002, he started making his own wine. His vineyard is 3 miles from the Pacific at 1,400 feet elevation - biodynamically farmed in the wilderness.

   winery $$$
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   Littorai: Burgundy Techniques on the Sonoma Coast

   Ted Lemon was the first American to serve as winemaker at a Burgundy domaine (Guy Roulot, 1981). When he returned to California and founded Littorai in 1993, he brought Burgundian philosophy: indigenous yeast, whole-cluster fermentation, biodynamic farming. His wines from Hirsch and other extreme sites are among California's most Burgundian.

   winery $$$
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   Williams Selyem: 45 Years of California Pinot Legend

   What began as a dream in a Fulton garage in 1981 has become the benchmark for California Pinot Noir. Burt Williams and Ed Selyem proved that California could make world-class Pinot. In 2025, they celebrate 45 years. Their Hirsch Vineyard bottling bridges two legends - Williams Selyem has sourced from David Hirsch since 1994.

   winery $$$