Paul Hobbs Winery was founded in 1991 by established winemaking consultant Paul Hobbs. Located in Sebastopol in Sonoma County, the winery specializes in single-vineyard varietal wines made from Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Chardonnay. Hobbs already had an impressive resumé as a consultant before establishing his own winery, which has gone on to receive significant critical acclaim.
Paul Hobbs started his career working for Robert Mondavi in 1978, and was involved with the creation of Opus One – the collaboration between Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild of the Bordeaux first growth Chateau Mouton Rothschild. Paul consulted with Simi Winery and championed the Argentine wine industry while at Bodega Catena Zapata. He is also the founding partner and winemaker of Vino Cobos Winery in Mendoza, Argentina

The 2020 Paul Hobbs Russian River Chardonnay is crafted from six sites with great pedigree and displays pale straw with yellow hues that glisten like jewels in the glass. This wine has lovely and subtle aromatics of white flowers, elements of citrus, yellow pineapple, lemon peel, honeysuckle minerality and a hint of almond. This is a light to medium bodied Chardonnay that has a creamy texture without having too much weight. The nuances of minerality lift the fruit flavors and keep it fresh combined with the acidity that is vibrant and adds balance leading to slight chalkiness on the finish which goes on for minutes. The 2020 Paul Hobbs RR Chardonnay is delicious to drink now, but the wine will age 5-10 years well and gain more richness and complexity.

By Perry Miroballi