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TECHNICAL REVIEW 2 0 1 4E M N I FI IN G WIN U AK ED Sophisticated Simplicity Paul Hobbs Winery brings a minimalist approach to processing high-quality fruit By Andrew Adams The crush pad at Paul Hobbs Winery is located outside in front of two large halls containing open- and closed-top fermentation tanks. I t's the end of another vintage at Paul Hobbs Winery. On a sparkling day in late October, cellar workers are giving the crush pad equipment a thorough wash down before packing it away for winter. The incessant spraying of hoses is punctuated by the slams of stainless steel tank doors and the clanging of valves, clamps and other equipment being replaced on the fittings board. While the winery is filled with activity, it's the measured pace of a winery crew that knows the last of the fruit is in the cellar and another vintage is winding down. Paul Hobbs, however, is still busy. After he says his farewells to a film crew wrapping up a shoot, he greets another visitor for a tour, after which the wine critic Robert Parker is visiting to taste the wines from Hobbs' new Cahors project. 68 W in e s & V i ne s january 20 14 Parker will be the first person in the United States to review the wines that will be imported through Paul Hobbs Imports, which Hobbs and partners Andrea Marchiori and Luis Barraud established to import bottles of their Vina Cobos wines and other wines from Argentina. In addition to the import company that sells around 75,000 cases, Hobbs also oversees his value-driven CrossBarn winery, which produces 35,000 cases per year. His eponymous winery now produces around 20,000 cases per year. That would be plenty to keep most winemaking entrepreneurs busy, but Hobbs is still racking up frequent flier miles consulting for 35 wineries scattered in Argentina, South Africa, Canada, France and Armenia. In the United States, Hobbs works with a few wineries including Early Mountain Vineyards in Madison, Va. Highlights • While famous for his consulting work abroad, especially in South America, Paul Hobbs remains focused on his wines sourced from Napa and Sonoma counties in California. • Premium fruit receives gentle processing and almost no adjustments in the cellar. • A crane and gondola process for transferring must is used to replicate a gravity-flow system.