2021 Cuvee Louisa Goldrock Estate Chardonnay

For readers who may have been sleeping on the wines of Paul Hobbs and not staying up to date on their shifting style, this one may come as a surprise. Taking on light, flinty wet stone aromatics, with fresh herbs, ripe pear, and fresh apple, the 2021 Chardonnay Cuvee Louisa Goldrock Estate is electric with driving energy on the palate, with loads of saline, ripe fruit, and mouthwatering persistence. This full-bodied white has nothing heavy about it, offering pure fruit that’s a touch tropical, with a hint of ripe papaya and fresh citrus blossoms. An outstanding wine and the best I have tasted from Paul Hobbs to date, this is one of the shining stars from the newly minted West Sonoma Coast appellation. It’s a cellar-worthy Chardonnay that I imagine will develop wonderfully over the next decade or more. Bravo! Over my first two years as a full-time wine critic, I found the wines of Paul Hobbs to be some of the most pleasurable and surprising. Historically, my experience with these Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines was an opulent style with a fair bit of extract and oak influence. Tasting the wines today, though they certainly are not lacking in concentration, they have a level of refinement, precision, and energy that is undeniable across the range. These are some of the best wines I have tasted from Paul Hobbs and Sonoma to date. Meeting with Paul at his winery in Sebastapol, he acknowledged that there has been a gradual yet steady shift in style and a preference for the wines he enjoys. This self-awareness is one of the unique strengths to their success in fine-tuning the wines over time.