In early May, my husband saw in The Pine Cone that Grasings Restaurant was hosting a wine dinner featuring Napa vintner Paul Hobbs. It was crazy expensive, but we were intrigued. We checked with the Decanting Monterey Wine Pod, but they couldn’t go. We debated what to do – looked over the menu and saw we would be tasting 2 of his Napa Cabernet Sauvignons, including a $500/bottle wine. The conversation went: Should we just go buy a bottle of this wine and enjoy it – or go to the event, where we could see Paul Hobbs again, taste a variety of his wines, and have a nicely paired meal. We chose the latter – and are very glad we did.
While these wines are NOT from Monterey County, the wine experience is. I will try over time to present to you some of the wine tasting venues outside of the typical winery tasting room experience.
Grasing’s hosts several wine events during the year. For the last two years, Eric Ewers has directed the wine program at Grasing’s, a long-time holder of Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” and contender for their “Grand Award.” He has 36 years in the hospitality industry with the last 22 years in the role of sommelier or wine director. Certified through the Court of Masters and the International Wine Guild, he developed and directed two wine lists that achieved Wine Spectator’s “Best of Award of Excellence” recognition – most recently at the Broadmoor’s Penrose Room, the longest-running Forbes Five Star, AAA Five Diamond restaurant in the world. You can join the Grasings’ Wine Club mailing list by providing your email at the bottom of this link. Their next dinner will be in October.
We first met Paul Hobbs around, when he showed up to the Addy Bassin’s MacArthur Barrel Tastings (a fundraiser in Washington DC hosted by one of the premier wine shops there). That was our first exposure to Paul and his wines, probably the best of all the high-end reds we tasted at the event – very big, rich, smooth wines – we became fast fans. We think he came to that event for about 5 years, which afforded us the opportunity to buy his wines as wine futures. His wines achieved a cult status among our wine afficionado friends. “Ooh, Charlie/David brought a Paul Hobbs!!”
At the dinner, Paul shared with us how he got into the business (Where It All Began): from growing up as 1 of 11 children on his parents’ farm (where he actually helped his father convert from orchards to wine grapes), to pursuing medicine starting with a degree in chemistry from Notre Dame, to being persuaded by his father back to winemaking and a Master of Science degree in Viticulture and Enology at UC Davis. He worked at Robert Mondavi, Opus One, and Simi before going on as a wine consultant and eventually pursuing making his own wines. The Paul Hobbs Winery debut vintage was in 1991.
Here are the wines we tasting in May. Most of the winery notes come from the Paul Hobb’s website here, amplified by comments that evening, unless otherwise noted. One of his local fans also donated to us a Paul Hobbs 2009 Napa Cabernet Sauvignon to top off the evening. Plus the food pairings were scrumptious, as you can see above. Our compliments to the chef!
2019 Hillock & Hobbs, Estate Vineyard, Dry Riesling, Seneca Lake, $37 (#735)
Winery Notes: “The inaugural vintage from our steep-sloped estate presents a delicate bouquet of spring white flowers and tangerine peel mingled with accents of wet slate. Elegant and inviting on the palate, crisp pear and lime zest highlights are underscored by bright acidity and lingering mineral notes that seamlessly glide into a clean and vibrant finish.” Filtered (Paul Hobbs wines are not filtered). Vines are on slate. 94 points, James Suckling
My Review: Straw in the glass. Gardenia on the nose. Crisp. Mellow floral notes on the light palate. Balanced acidity. Bitter citrus notes on the finish. May 2022
2019 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, $48 (#736)
Winery Notes: “The wine is a vibrant blend delineated from the region’s cooling fog and warm afternoon sunshine to allow balanced ripening of lush varietal flavors and natural acidity that can be derived from our venerated vineyards.” 94 points – Jeb Dunnuck
My Review: Viscous, light golden in the glass. Big nose with some robust mustiness in a good way. Honey, butter, floral, and citrus on the palate. May 2022
2019 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, $52 (#737)
Winery Notes: “Carefully selected from the winery’s top vineyard sources that are defined by both their proximity to the coast and Russian River to allow cool morning, warm afternoon diurnal swings to develop fruit with purity, richness, and elegance.” (Pinot Noir (thin skinned) ferments twice as fast as Cabernet Sauvignon) 94 points – Jeb Dunnuck
My Review: Ruby in the glass. Raspberry and sweet tobacco on the nose. Intense cherry and raspberry on the palate. Big and smooth. May 2022
About the 2018 vintage: 2018 was cold, wet. There were huge rains in the winter. The saltwater was cold and véraison was late.
2018 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon, Coombsville, Napa Valley, $105 (#735)
Winery Notes: “We are proud to carry the Coombsville appellation on our label after becoming a pillar of our cabernet sourcing in Napa Valley. The inaugural release presents a deep ruby with violet highlights and scents of wild blueberry, dried lavender, and mocha. A beautiful entry envelops the palate and features generous layers of red currant, black fig, and subtle notes of fresh sage and leather. Fresh acidity wraps around fine-grained tannins providing tension towards the finish, revealing a crushed rock minerality that confers the region’s inherent rocky soils.” 94 points – James Suckling
My Review: Deep ruby in color. Delicious smooth Cabernet bouquet. Smooth, tongue coating rich dark fruit, a hint of spearmint, with cassis notes on the finish. I like this wine. May 2022
2018 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon To Kalon Vineyard, Oakville, Napa Valley, $570 (#739)
Winery Notes: “The legendary vineyard situated on the Oakville bench is farmed by both row and vine so we can endow the fullest expression of the site. Presenting finely sculpted layers of cassis, cocoa, and graphite with an endless finish adorned with velvety yet stately tannins.” Alluvial soils. 98 points – Robert Parker
My Review: Dark ruby in the glass. Oak and alcohol on the nose. Super intense berry on the nose. Really tight and powerful. Tannic on the finish. Way too young for us to be drinking. May 2022
2009 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, $99 (#740)
Wine Spectator Notes: “Big yet nuanced, with tiers of cedar, dark berry, black licorice, gravel and road tar, this is intense, chewy and tannic, with an underlying measure of finesse and detail. Drink now through 2024.” 93 points
My Review: Dark ruby in glass. That Napa smell, balanced by fruit on the nose. Dark fruit on the palate. Balanced. Lean. May 2027
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