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2018 Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Pinot Noir

Light capsule condition issue; lightly depressed cork; signs of past seepage; light label condition issue

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased at retail

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

94Jeb Dunnuck

...beautiful aromatics of raspberries, black cherries, and strawberries, loads of spice, violets, and underbrush nuances, medium to full body, good acidity, and a silky, seamless texture...beautifully done...

93The Wine Advocate

...nose of cranberry sauce, rhubarb, tea leaves and earth with a spicy undercurrent. Medium-bodied, it's concentrated and grainy with appealing juicy fruits and a long, lifted finish.

93Wine Spectator

Concentrated red currant, plum and raspberry flavors are finely articulated, with ample hot stone and cooking spice notes. Crunchy acidity on the finish features accents of dried thyme.

93Vinous / IWC

Rich, boisterous and inviting... An explosion of floral and spice notes leads to a core of juicy fruit as this super-expressive, inviting Pinot shows off its considerable allure.

92James Suckling

A dense, layered red with blackberry and blueberry aromas and flavors. Full body. Solid core of fruit.

PRODUCER

Paul Hobbs

Paul Hobbs is a boutique winery in the Russian River Valley of Sonoma County, California. It was founded in 1991 by Paul Hobbs, who worked at Robert Mondavi, Opus One and Simi Winery in various winemaking capacities before starting his own winery. He also consulted in Argentina, and now makes Malbecs from Argentina with other business partners under the Vina Cobos label. Hobbs uses grapes from numerous vineyards under contract to his estate to make well-reviewed Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. His wines from the several Beckstoffer vineyards and the Hyde vineyard are particularly noteworthy. Robert M. Parker Jr. has called Hobbs “one of the great names in winemaking…(he makes) full-throttle, intense wines made with classical European methods.”

REGION

United States, California, Sonoma, Russian River Valley

Russian River Valley AVA is named for the river that meanders from Mendocino County in the north until it finally runs into the Pacific Ocean north of San Francisco. The AVA is cool thanks to its proximity to the northern California coast and the river, and grape growers must learn to deal with regular fog. Nevertheless in recent decades the AVA has become one of the best in the state, meaning that its wines often earn excellent reviews and have considerable cachet. The AVA status was awarded in 1983 and today the appellation has 15,000 vineyard acres. Chardonnay is the most widely planted grape though Pinot Noir has also been very successful in recent decades. Russian River Valley Pinot Noir are known for being rich, lush and filled with concentrated fruit and berry flavors. Russian River Pinot Noirs are today considered some of the best domestic Pinot Noirs.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.

VINTAGE

2018 Paul Hobbs Russian River Valley Pinot Noir