Paul Hobbs 'Napa' Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Vinous 94
The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is a gorgeous, inviting wine, but it is also going to need a few years in bottle to shed some of its formidable tannins. Black cherry, plum, graphite, pencil shavings, crme de cassis and menthol open up in the glass, but only with great reluctance. Patience will be the key here.-VM

James Suckling 94
A solid cabernet with currants and berries, blue fruit and lavender. Medium-to full-bodied, solid and beautiful. Creamy and very long. Give it a year or so. Try after 2021.-JS

Wine Spectator 92
Well-built, with the vintage's warm and forward plum and blackberry preserve profile leading the way, while lush melted licorice and sweet spice accents fill in on the finish. A purely fruit-driven version, but the balance is there. Drink now through 2029. 4,330 cases made.-WS

Robert Parker's Wine Advocate 91
Deep garnet-purple in color, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley comes strolling out of the glass with easy-breezy notions of Black Forest cake, blackberry pie, cardamom and damp soil plus hints of pencil shavings and bay leaves. Medium-bodied, the palate gives mouth-coating black fruits with plenty of bright, herbal sparks and a grainy texture, finishing long and savory. 4,330 cases were made.-RP

This stately cabernet sauvignon displays great depth and complexity from diverse terroirs, including fruit from our Nathan Coombs Estate and other pedigreed Napa Valley vineyards. Dark crimson in color, the nose is perfumed with luxuriant aromas of red currant, boysenberry, cedar box, and Herbes de Provence. The intensely layered palate excites with flavors of cassis, graphite, blueberries, and sage, woven seamlessly together with savory, velvety tannins. The finish is long and pure, a perfect harmony of richness and elegance.-Winemaker Notes

Pioneering winemaker Paul Hobbs established his namesake winery in 1991 with the vision and dedication to sustainably craft wines with minimal intervention and meticulous care to capture the purist concept of place. Widely recognized for forging new paths in pursuit of excellence, Paul Hobbs Winery is the pinnacle reflection of our desire to showcase the individuality of new and historical sites in Napa Valley and Sonoma County.-Winery Notes

If you are looking for Paul Hobbs, you will most likely find him in a vineyard. Growing up on a working farm in upstate New York, Paul experienced first-hand the influence of terroir on the character of fruit, when his father had him taste apples of the same variety grown in different orchards several miles apart from one another. The diversity of flavors and textures made an impression on him and would later influence his approach to winemaking.

As a winemaker, Paul is highly regarded for his ability to identify exceptional vineyards, and for his pioneering spirit in working innovatively with new and historical sites and regions. His success has inspired a wealth of nicknames among the press, from quiet trendsetter to prospector to truffle-hunting dog. Hired by Robert Mondavi for his advanced understanding of oak aging, he went on to become winemaker for Opus One and Simi wineries, and then consultant to Peter Michael, Fisher, Lewis, Catena and others. He founded Paul Hobbs Winery in 1991.

Paul knows that the essence of profound wines can be traced back to meticulous care and expertise in the vineyard. Meticulous vineyard management followed by minimally?invasive winemaking techniques is his approach to producing wines that express their vineyard origins with utmost finesse, complexity, and authenticity; in other words, wines with a sense of place. Fermented with native yeasts and aged in French oak, all are bottled unfined and unfiltered.