Prior to starting his namesake winery in 1991, Paul Hobbs had gained some renown working on the winemaking team at Robert Mondavi and Opus. He has consulted for several notable wineries including Peter Michael, Lewis, and Catena. In 1998 he purchased the Katherine Lindsay Estate in the Russian River Valley, named for his great-grandmother who established the original family farm in upstate New York. The estate is the winery’s home and realized his dream of founding his own vineyard. Today, he owns seven estate vineyards and a second label, Crossbarn. He has also expanded to several international partnerships in Argentina; Cahors, France; Armenia; Galicia, Spain, and the Finger Lakes in his original home state of New York.

The Goldrock estate was purchased in 2016. Located in the far northwest corner of the Sonoma Coast AVA, it is just 5 miles from the ocean near the town of Annapolis. The vineyard sits above the fog line with heavily maritime conditions and steep slopes up to 23 percent. The 2019 is deep ruby red in the glass with meaty, sanguine aromas followed by cherry, currant and blueberry fruits with a hint of rosemary. It is soft, rich and round on the palate with a seamless finish. This wine finishes with delicate, lingering acidity and warmth from the ripe fruits.

By Michael Yang