2011 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer Dr. Crane Vineyard

Paul Hobbs brought in his 2011s at the very end of October, after a period of heavy rains that were especially challenging. All things considered, the 2011s have held up well.

My annual March trip through California's North Coast rarely syncs with the schedule of the globe-trotting Paul Hobbs, who is knee-deep in projects in South America as well as new ones in Cahors and New York's Finger Lakes district, which isn't far from where he grew up.So it was a pleasant surprise that our paths crossed in March and we were able to sit down with his winemaker Megan Baccitich and go through his latest set of releases.One point that Hobbs wanted to make about the 2012 chardonnays was that "they fermented very slowly and retained their acidity as well, so you can get tension as well as complexity in the wines."In fact, I was reminded of the cool-vintage 2011s as I tasted through the 2012 Hobbs chardonnays, which are wines that I believe will be good cellar candidates.It has been discussed to death by now but Hobbs said that ripening of red grapes was so tough in 2011 that almost all of his cabernet was harvested at about 25 degrees Brix, which is pinot territory, and people who let their fruit hang had late-season rain to contend with as well.Some of those who were willing to roll the dice came out nicely, he said, pointing out that his team was able to pick their Stagecoach cabernet at 27 to 28 degrees Brix on November 1st, which is insanely late.

Paul Hobbs and his team led by winemaker Megan Baccitich have done a fabulous job with their 2011 and 2012 Cabernets. The 2011s are rich, generous and supple, all qualities that are rare for the year. In particular, the Crossbarn Cabernet is a fabulous wine for the money. The single-vineyard Cabernets are deeply expressive of site in both vintages. Of course, 2011 was the more challenging of the two years. Hobbs describes the flowering in To Kalon was the worst he has seen since the vineyard was re-planted in the mid-1990s. Fermentations were on the gentle side considering the fragility of the skins, and the wines spent a little less time on the skins than normal. Hobbs describes 2012 as a classic vintage with elements of both 2001 and 2002. With 2012, Hobbs introduces a new Cabernet from Nathan Coombs, a property in Coombsville Hobbs acquired earlier in the year.

One of the greatest attributes of the Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignons is their ability to deliver incredible pleasure throughout their entire lives. I tasted a wide range of wines this year with Paul Hobbs and winemaker Megan Baccitich, including several past vintages of the flagship To Kalon, which confirmed that view. In particular, the 2001 and 2002 To Kalon Cabernets remain stunning, and the straight 1999 Napa Valley Cabernet was equally impressive.