Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/235941
TECHNICAL REVIEW 2 0 1 4E M N I FI IN G WIN U AK ED the vineyard development is now in full compliance with the law. Similar issues arose in 2011 around Hobbs' conversion of a former Christmas tree farm and after he cut down trees for another vineyard. Despite the permit snafus and protests, Hobbs owns 31.5 acres in Sonoma County. His vineyards include the 14-acre Katherine Lindsay Estate, which is named after Hobbs' great-grandmother and where the Paul Hobbs winery is located. The winery's first crush was in 2003. In addition to the estate vines, Hobbs sources grapes from Richard Dinner Vineyard, Ritchie Vineyard and Kick Ranch in Sonoma County and Hyde Vineyards, Stagecoach Vineyard and Beckstoffer's Dr. Crane, Las Piedras and To Kalon in Napa County. The winery was one of the first to be designed by Howard Backen. Hobbs said he envisioned a set of buildings each with its own purpose rather than a vast structure containing everything. "I can tell you how difficult it was to find a designer who could understand that," he said. "They all wanted to build it under one roof." The main fermentation hall is built with one side into a small hill to help keep it cool. Other rooms contain barrel aging, offices and a lab. A sleek and modern hospitality area on the top of the hill into which the winery is built was constructed in 2006. Slow and gentle on the crush pad Crews harvest all of Hobbs' grapes by hand at night and deliver them to the winery in MacroBins. Carlsen & Associates and P&L Specialties equipped the crush pad. A forklift operator dumps bins into a hopper that feeds an elevated con- This bladder press is used for pressing whole clusters of Chardonnay grapes. veyor, along which workers perform cluster sorting. Above the crush pad, wires stretch from the main fermentation building to an office complex. During the hot days of summer, shade cloths hang from the wires. Sorted clusters either drop into bins for whole-cluster fermentation or receive a gentle destemming in a Vega destemmer. Processed grapes then run through a Le Trieur vibrating sorting table. Bins or 1-ton gondolas collect the processed grapes. A forklift dumps the bins directly into open-top tanks, while a Konecranes crane lifts the gondolas and manipulates them into position to be dumped into tanks. Megan Baccitich, the director of winemaking, says the strategy on the crush pad is to maintain a slow but steady stream of grapes into the winery instead of always striving to increase the tons per hour rate. Baccitich grew up in the Sonoma County town of Healdsburg, Calif., and earned an enology degree from California State University, Fresno, before joining Paul Hobbs as assistant winemaker in 2006. Hobbs promoted her to the post of director of winemaking in 2013. QUALITY STAINLESS TANKS QST offers its clients……. Professionally fabricated stainless tanks 35 years of tank fabrication experience Performance & reliability guarantees Custom designs & modern features Quick & competitive tank project pricing On site tank repairs & modifications Special application tanks of all sizes "In stock tanks" from 500 to 10,000 gallons 510 Caletti Ave. Windsor, Ca. 95492 Phone 707-837-2721 or Toll-Free 877-598-0672 www.qualitystainless.com Company Website winetanks@aol.com email contact/sales info Custom Fabricated Tanks for the perfect size & fit… or Ready to Ship "Stock Tanks" Either way QST is ready to assist our clients! Call QST today for information or pricing! 70 W in e s & V i ne s january 20 14 See us at Unified booth #817