The brilliant 2008 Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard is one of the finest Pinots I tasted from the 2008 vintage. Made from the Pommard and Calera clones, it exhibits a dark, saturated plum/ruby/purple-tinged color as well as an enormous bouquet of plums, soy, forest floor, black cherries and black currants, stunning, full-bodied, rich fruit and a supple, luscious finish. This decadent, full-throttle Pinot Noir can be consumed over the next decade or more. One of California’s most renowned international wine consultants (he consults with 14 bodegas in Argentina, 3 wineries in Chile and also an estate in Armenia), Paul Hobbs is also a well-known consultant in California with his best-known clients being Merus, Stewart Cellars, Clos Pegase and Constant. All of Paul Hobbs offerings from the Sonoma Coast and the Russian River, which includes an impressive portfolio of Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs, will be reviewed in the February, 2011 issue in an extensive report on those viticultural areas. Hobbs produces one Napa Valley Pinot Noir from the Carneros region. The 2008 Cabernet Sauvignons all look sensational. As a group, they come close to rivaling the brilliant success Paul Hobbs enjoyed in 2007. An early look at barrel samples of four 2009s suggests these are very strong efforts. Paul Hobbs did not make a 2009 Stagecoach or Hyde Cabernet because he had not harvested those Cabernet Sauvignon vineyards before the deluge of rain hit in mid-October. He felt there was too much mold in those vineyards. Tel. (707) 824-9879; Fax (707) 824-5843