2012 Pinot Noir Katherine Lindsay Estate

I tasted a wide range of Chardonnays and Pinot Noir with Paul Hobbs and his winemaker Megan Baccitich. A number of the 2012 Chardonnays were quite reticent, which is unusual for the year. I am not sure if the bigger Chardonnays are just a bit closed at the moment, or if the search for richness and texture is pushed a bit too far. The Chardonnays see quite a bit of lees stirring, about weekly through the malolactic fermentations and then every two weeks until the wines are settled prior to bottling. Only time will tell. The 2013 Chardonnays are a bit more precise and delineated than the 2012s, which is hard to believe, as the harvest was a full ten days earlier. Similarly, the 2013 Pinots show greater energy and cut than the 2012s.

Paul Hobbs is always in motion. In late 2012 Hobbs acquired a new property in Coombsville, Napa Valley's most recent AVA. Just recently, Hobbs announced an ambitious new venture to make Riesling in New York State's Finger Lakes region with Johannes Selbach. That is of course in addition to the many wines Hobbs already makes in Sonoma for his own labels and with his many consulting clients in California and Argentina. Fortunately for Hobbs, he can count on the talents of winemaker Megan Bacitich, who takes care of the day to day at Hobbs's Sebastopol winery. I tasted a number of terrific wines on a recent visit. Overall, the 2012 Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs are a little bit softer and rounder than the 2011s. Sugars were slightly higher, while fermentations proceeded at a slower, more leisurely pace. Readers will also want to make note of the Crossbarn wines (reviewed separately), which offer terrific value and quality.