Another attractive wine, the 2010 Pinot Noir hits the palate with a rush of expressive dark red fruit. There is an immediacy in the 2010 that is quite appealing. At the same time, I can’t say the 2010 is especially elegant or refined, but it is quite pretty all the same. This fruit-forward, juicy Pinot is best enjoyed over the next few years. Anticipated maturity: 2013-2018. It is always fascinating to sit down with Paul Hobbs and his winemaker Megan Baccitich, as these Chardonnays and Pinots run the gamut of styles, clones and sites in Sonoma. According to Hobbs, the 2010 harvest was two weeks later than normal, while 2011 was three weeks later than normal! One of the other main differences is that temperatures increased toward the end of 2010, but stayed very much on the cool side in 2011. My impression is that when all is said and done, vintage 2011 will turn out to be superior to 2010 for this range. As always, the Hobbs house style does a very nice job of capturing both textural richness and plenty of site specificity. Tel. (707) 824-9879