2016 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay Russian River Valley
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Tasting notes
The 2016 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) is just as delicious from bottle as it was from barrel. Lemon confit, apricot, hazelnut, chamomile and dried flowers are nicely layered throughout. Rich and textured in the glass, with terrific balance, the 2016 has a ton to offer.
Critic scores
Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW, Wine Advocate
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Chardonnay Russian River Valley is a beauty that shines on all accounts. Aged 10 months on lees in 45% new French oak, it reveals a gold, slightly green-tinged color to go with awesome notes of caramelized citrus, freshly crushed rocks, spice, and a distinct salinity. It’s clean, medium to full-bodied, beautifully layered, and just a head-turning Chardonnay well worth seeking out. These latest releases from Paul Hobbs are pretty much sensational across the board and Hobbs’ finds a rare mix of purity and elegance matched to richness and concentration that hits all my sweet spots. Hobbs commented that 2016 was a perfect vintage where everything came together easily, and the resulting wines have a terrific sense of elegance, purity an balance that make them already irresistible, yet will also allow them to age gracefully. In addition, the lineup is easy to understand; Hobbs makes an appellation blend Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and two single vineyards of each variety.
The 2016 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) is a very pretty, nuanced wine, and also a terrific introduction to this range of super-expressive Chardonnays from Paul Hobbs. The understated personality of the year comes through nicely in the wine's lifted, gracious feel. The lemon confit and white flower notes are bright and nicely delineated.
The 2016 Chardonnay features a wonderfully spicy nose of nutmeg, ginger ale and coriander seed with a core of Bosc pears, ripe nectarines and applesauce. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has fantastic freshness with a zippy acid line lifting all those fantastic spices to a good long finish. 5,390 cases were made. Jun 2018, www.robertparker.com
About the producer
Paul Hobbs is one of California wine’s biggest names. Twice named Wine Personality of the Year by Robert Parker, he joined Robert Mondavi in 1977, worked at Opus One and Simi before setting up his eponymous winery in 1991.