2011 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard
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The 2011 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard is big, powerful and intense. Today, the Dinner comes across as lacking the typical Paul Hobbs polish, with slightly angular contours. The impression is of a wine that is raw and not fully formed. It will be interesting to see if the 2011 comes together a little more fully with more time in bottle.
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Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
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I was not impressed with the 2011 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard. Flaccid and lacking precision, clearly this vintage-s challenges were not mastered in this particular cuvee. Paul Hobbs has built quite an empire, both as a worldwide respected wine consultant and as the owner of his winery in Sonoma Valley. I reviewed his Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon cuvees in Issue 209, and on this visit I tasted through his 2011 and 2012 Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs as well as a few Syrahs. His wines consistently hit all the high notes, and Hobbs continues to be a serious talent. I particularly enjoy his Cross Barn, inexpensive Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The 2011 Chardonnays range from tiny productions of 138 cases for the Ulises Valdez to 3,600 for the Russian River Chardonnay. The 2012s all reveal the tremendous up-front fruit characteristics of this year along with surprisingly high average alcohols, and good fresh acids. Paul Hobbs has introduced two Cross Barn Pinot Noir cuvees, one from the Sonoma Coast and one from Anderson Valley. These wines use a tiny bit of stems during their fermentations, and spend four months in barrel, 15% of which is new. Tasting through these same cuvees in 2012 demonstrated just how gorgeous this vintage is across the board in Northern California. Tel. (707) 824-9879
The 2011 Chardonnay Richard Dinner Vineyard is one of the most exotic wines I have ever tasted from Sonoma. Botrytis gives the wine much of its intriguing personality. The 2011 is a wine of volume, texture and viscosity. Passion fruit, sage, crushed rocks, exotic white flowers, nuts and a hint of nutmeg all flow through to the finish. The 2011 is quite a bit fatter and richer than the 2010. In my view, this idiosyncratic Chardonnay is a stunner.
Bright yellow-gold. Aromas and flavors of white peach, tangerine and poached pear, with vanilla and buttered toast accents. Broad and fleshy but lively, with a spine of zesty minerality adding lift and structure. The mineral note carries through a very long, broad, honeyed finish.
About the producer
Paul Hobbs is one of California wine’s biggest names. Twice named Wine Personality of the Year by Robert Parker, he joined Robert Mondavi in 1977, worked at Opus One and Simi before setting up his eponymous winery in 1991.