a tale of two valleys
Spanning time and place, giving the utmost reverence to Mother Nature, the work is revealed in the wine.
HOBBS is the crowning expression of Paul’s decades of winemaking expertise, highlighting his refined skills for seeking out top vineyard sites, elevating farming practices, and blending the finest lots and barrels to craft unique wines of peerless quality.
A third-generation farmer, Paul earned his agricultural acuity by planting and harvesting crops on his family’s upstate New York farm. He put down roots in California in 1976, when he began attending UC Davis. Three years later, while working at Robert Mondavi Winery, he joined the inaugural team at Opus One, a move that launched his decades-long inquest into Northern California’s most distinct and profound Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir sites.
As he delved deeper into the complex realms of viticulture and enology, Paul also discovered the interminable possibilities of terroir. His fascination with crafting wines that represent the purest concept of place allowed him to lead the way as a pioneer of site-specific, vineyard designate wines.
In the Napa Valley, Paul pinpointed new and historic parcels from legacy growers, including the Hyde Carneros Pinot Noir in 1991 and the first 100pt score from the revered Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard in 2002. Enamored with Coombsville’s “off the beaten path” location and its rich history, Paul acquired the Nathan Coombs Estate in 2012, making it the winery’s first acquisition outside of Sonoma County, and establishing his own roots in the valley.
On the other side of the Mayacamas Mountains in Sonoma, Paul knew that climate was key, seeking out cooler vineyard sites with fog-washed hillsides and soil diversity. This mosaic of micro-terroirs lends endless fodder for exploration and is the Holy Grail for growing pinot noir. In 1998, he purchased the Katherine Lindsay Estate—home to the winery and the first of four Sonoma Coast estates designed for rootstock and clonal experimentation in pinot noir.
Across both Napa and Sonoma, Paul’s groundbreaking achievements laid the foundation for HOBBS, which would have otherwise remained an abstraction. These are transcendent wines, born from legacy parcels and only arising when a particular barrel stokes Paul’s imagination. With no constraints on sourcing or winemaking, HOBBS is the pinnacle of his quest to deliver further delineation and precision in his wines, giving the greatest reverence to Mother Nature.