The inky-purple color of this sumptuous wine is accompanied by a classic cabernet nose of tobacco smoke, creme de cassis, licorice and pencil lead.
Reviews:
- Wine Advocate: From the undeniable first-growth quality site comes the 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To-Kalon Vineyard. When the fruit from this vineyard is handled properly, the resulting wine often flirts with perfection. Hobbs’ 2001 boasts a dense blue/purple color along with an incredibly pure nose of spice box, cedarwood, creme de cassis, blueberry pie and subtle smoke as well as graphite notes that could easily pass for a first- or second-growth Pauillac. Broad, expansive, full-bodied flavors reveal stunning purity, amazing depth and richness, and a finish that goes on for nearly a minute.
- James Suckling: Smooth, dark, rich and seductive; a remarkably complex and concentrated wine brimming with ripe, silky currant, blackberry, black cherry and fresh earth and pencil lead nuances. It firms up nicely on the finish, exhibiting ripe, flavorful tannins and a long, persistent finish that reveals extra depth facets.
Producer Information
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 recognition. 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 Mouton Rothschild. Hobbs consulted with Simi Winery and championed the Argentinian wine industry while at Bodega Catena Zapata. The connections Hobbs made throughout this period allowed his winery project to achieve financing in a difficult period when California was suffering from the effects of phylloxera in the early 1990s. The winery primarily bottles four grape varieties sourced from a number of vineyards in Sonoma County and Napa Valley: Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, and Chardonnay. It makes numerous single-vineyard wines, along with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from the Russian River Valley and a Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. The 2002 Paul Hobbs To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon was awarded 100 points in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and the 2008 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was named in the top ten of Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines in 2010.
