Paul Hobbs Russian River Chardonnay 2019  £55.73

PAUL HOBBS RUSSIAN RIVER CHARDONNAY 

Raised on a farm on the east coast of the United States, Paul Hobbs grew up in a tee-total household but this did not stop his first taste of wine being Chateau Y'quem. It is tempting to say 'and the rest is history' and leave it at that, but there is so much more to this man.

Paul came to winemaking via studying to be a doctor and this scientific background and attention to detail has helped hone his approach to crafting wonderfully precise, complex wines in California, and around the world. He has famously been called the 'Steve Jobs' of wine by Forbes magazine and it is clear he is a driven perfectionist whose hard work has paid off with numerous 100 points scores from the critics. However, to stop there would do Paul an injustice. Notwithstanding his mainstream winemaking training at USC Davis, Paul has been a long advocate of low intervention methods.

As can be seen in this wine as it is composed of pedigreed sites that are defined by the region’s cooling fog and warm afternoon sunshine, the wine exhibits a youthful pale straw colour in the glass and aromas of tangerine, white florals, and shaved ginger. Lively flavours of white peach and Gravenstein apple emerge on the palate that gives way to complex flavours of baking spice and pie crust that add a round texture to accompany its bright acidity, framing the long finish.