2012 Cabernet Sauvignon Stagecoach Vineyard

Paul Hobbs and his long-time winemaker Megan Baccitich have turned out a spectacular set of 2012s and 2013s. As always, the Hobbs Cabernets are dark, intense and powerful in style, with considerable textural richness and opulence. In both 2012 and 2013 the wines seem more marked by their site specific qualities rather than the respective vintages. In my view, the most unique wines in the range are Stagecoach, Las Piedras, To-Kalon and Nathan Coombs, Hobbs' newly acquired estate vineyard in Coombsville.

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.