2009 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard
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Tasting notes
Dark blackish crimson. Heady, toasty nose. Blackberry-soup impression and fine tannins. Light oak impression. Just too sweet for comfort. Lightly drying finish. Sweet end. Awkward at the moment. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Inky purple. Complex, heady bouquet evokes red and dark berry preserves, incense and dried flowers, with star anise and allspice overtones gaining strength with air. Juicy, palate-staining black raspberry and cassis flavors show excellent depth, with chewing tobacco and vanilla nuances contributing complexity. Finishes seamless and sweet, with outstanding energy and persistence.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is deep, seductive and powerful. It shows stunning richness and intensity, with layers of dark red fruit, smoke, licorice and tobacco in a style that is very expressive but not at all heavy. The 2009 is Clone 4.
The 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard is deep, seductive and powerful. It shows stunning richness and intensity, with layers of dark red fruit, smoke, licorice and tobacco in a style that is very expressive but not at all heavy. The 2009 is Clone 4. Anticipated maturity: 2017-2029. I tasted a wide range of stunning wines with Paul Hobbs and winemakers Megan Baccitich and Jason Valenti. I will report on the Sonoma Chardonnays and Pinots in Issue 199. In the meantime, readers will find no shortage of fabulous choices among these 2009 and 2010 Cabernets. After tasting the Hobbs Pinots, it is impossible to miss the clear link between those wines and his Cabernets, especially when comparing those wines to the other Cabernets being made by other producers from the same sites. These are some of the most impeccable, polished, Pinot-like Cabernet Sauvignons readers will come across. The wines are fermented with natural yeasts and are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Crossbarn is Paul Hobbs’ second label and is included here for ease of reference. Hobbs describes 2010 as a very late harvest that was especially hard on cooler, more marginal regions for Cabernet Sauvignon. There will be no 2010 (or 2009 for that matter) Cabernets from Stagecoach or Hyde. The best fruit from those sites may end up in the 2010 Crossbarn or the Napa Valley bottling, but the selection will be severe. Tel. (707) 824-9879
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.