So much iron and terra cotta with volcanic salt and red fruit. Full body, bright acidity and a vivid, linear finish. Really spicy and characterful.

Second-generation winemaker Jasmine Hirsch says Block 8 is a section of the family vineyard that her dad, David, considers ‘grand cru’ quality. The soil is a Boomer-Mendocino formation, with a reddish tint from iron oxide and an abundance of rock and gravel content. As a result, it is very well-draining. The site is divided into five sub-parcels and is harvested separately. I find it has elements of a great Pommard and is exceptionally broad-shouldered with a capacious aromatic profile leading with blackberry and blueberry fruits, dried violets with cedar spices and cacao nibs. Medium-bodied, showcasing a panoply of cherry, cranberry, blood orange, and muddled blackberries. Sappy tannins give way to cola spices, sandalwood, black pepper and tobacco and cedar laced with vanilla through a long finish imprinted with the mark of a great acid backbone. (JC)

The 2020 Pinot Noir Block 8 is another impressive wine in this range. Black cherry/plum, mocha, licorice, spice, menthol and leather are front and center. This powerhouse Pinot packs a serious punch. Here, too, the Block 8 will benefit from time in bottle. There is some aggressiveness in the tannin, but that is the vintage. (AG)