Paul Hobbs Russian River Chardonnay 2017

Professional Ratings

• 94 Jeb Dunnuck

  Leading off the Chardonnays from Hobbs, the 2017 Chardonnay Russian River Valley comes from multiple sites and spent ten months in 55% new French oak. Its medium gold color is followed by a rich, upfront bouquet of Caramelized pineapple, tangerine, honeysuckle, spice, and a touch of toasted nuts. It's rich, concentrated, has beautiful mid-palate heft, and nicely integrated acidity. It's a rocking wine as well as a great introduction into the wines of this great winemaker.

• 93 Wine Spectator
  Powerful and minerally, with hints of white pepper to the baked apple, pear and tangerine flavors. The lively finish is crisp and focused, offering plenty of spice and lightly buttery notes. Drink now through 2022.
• 93 James Suckling

  Dried apricots, mangoes, apricot pie and spices. Medium-bodied with layers of stone and even tropical fruit, bright acidity and a medium-long finish. So well defined and focused. Drink now.

• 93 Connoisseurs' Guide

  It may not come with specific vineyard designation, but this lovely effort rivals its pricier, single-site siblings in layered richness and sheer generosity and is in no way a lesser wine. It, too, is a full and very outgoing wine that is decked out with plenty of fancy, slightly caramelly oak and sports very deep, ripe apple fruit that hold and holds. While the one we would choose for drinking first among the three Paul Hobbs Chardonnays reviewed in this issue owing to its slight palatal plumpness, it is balanced to keep and will easily provide another four or five years of unqualified drinking pleasure. 

• 92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The 2017 Chardonnay has a wonderful perfume of apple pie and grated nutmeg with notes of wet hay, honeycomb, cheese rind and peach cobbler plus touches of crushed stone, mushroom and wet bark. The palate is medium to full-bodied, rounded and silky with intense, savory flavor layers and bright acidity kicking in on long the finish. 5,964 cases produced.