Paul J

9.7

1hr+ decant. Wow! One of my best Paul Hobbs Cabs ever. Dark fruit, Napa sweetness, with excellent terroir. Medium plus depth and finish. Reminds me of Pontet-Canet. — 3 days ago

with Brooke

GaryWEdwards

9.5

I kinda forgot about this one that I bought for great value at auction. It’s actually drinking nicely with big wine attitude. Tobacco, earth but still has some brightness in color. Gonna share the 11 bottles with folks during holiday season. — a day ago

William Lauder

9.6

Amazing Beckstoffer Cab — 16 days ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.7

Stunning. A total textural bomb, still very young but surprisingly accessible and open, which is the nature of 2020. Complex dark berry fruit, the sweetest, most velvety tannins, and that granitic edge only elite Hermitage gets. Powerful, deep and gorgeous. — 3 months ago

Dave

9.2

Dynamite. Cork broke, but not to worry. The wine is so good. Deep, expressive fruit and bitter leaves. Earthy. Improving considerably as it breathes. And the bottle weighs 37 pounds.
Listening to Amy Winehouse — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Paul Hobbs – Pinot Noir / 2023
Russian River Valley AVA – Sonoma County / California / USA 🇺🇸

Overview
100% Pinot Noir from select vineyard sites across the Russian River Valley. A refined, cool-climate expression that balances depth, structure, and elegance, showcasing Paul Hobbs’ precision-driven style.

Aromas & Flavors
Ripe red and dark cherry, raspberry, and plum, layered with subtle baking spice, vanilla, and a touch of forest floor. Oak is present but beautifully restrained, more of a whisper than a statement.

Mouthfeel
Medium+ body with a silky, polished texture. Structured yet graceful, with fine tannins and vibrant acidity. The wine moves seamlessly across the palate, fluid, lifted, and balanced.

Food Pairings
Duck breast, roasted chicken, mushroom risotto, grilled salmon, or earthy dishes with herbs.

Verdict
A Pinot Noir that bridges complexity and drinkability. Layered and structured, yet effortlessly elegant, this is Russian River precision at a high level.

🍷 Did You Know?
Russian River Valley Pinot Noir owes much of its finesse to diurnal shifts, warm days build ripeness, while cool, foggy nights preserve acidity and aromatic detail.

🍷 Personal Pick
This is where Pinot becomes expressive without trying too hard. The oak is dialed in, the texture is silky, and the balance is spot on. It doesn’t shout, it truly danced in my palate! Cheers! — 5 months ago

Eric Vishria

9.5

Really incredible and dense. Thought it was excellent and took about 2 hrs to open. So much excellent dirt. — 7 months ago

Daniel M

9.2

We are celebrating my daughter's entering teenage years (tomorrow) and this Château Pape Clément 2012 is a year older than she is. I bought 2 bottles of it at a foire aux vins in 2014 back in Paris, have kept it since then, it went through a bunch of moves, including one from Paris to Warsaw and it came back in the trunk of our car this summer for the occasion. The carbon imprint of this (very heavy, on top of it) bottle is not great...
It was served along 2 massive beef tomahawk steaks cooked to medium-rare perfection by my dad.
Cassis, tar, tobacco, cedar, oak, a touch of red bell pepper which turned into menthol and black pepper as the wine warmed up in the glass (I had it chilled to 16°c and opened to shoulders).
The palate is full bodied, broad, layered, with cassis, black cherry, tar and oaky notes all along. It rolls on the tongue. The mouthfeel is soft and delicate but mutes into a grainy, gravely tannic wall that disrupts the finish and creates an additional layer of complexity. The finish is long, complex, evolving a tiny bitter note in the very end. The vintage is what it is and it can be felt in the way the wine is broad without being the broadest and in the mouthfeel which is a bit soft and lacking a tad of thickness. It's nevertheless a great wine which went super well with the steak. Happy Birthday Amelia! — a month ago

Ed Chin

9.0

Really good balance with soft tannins. The issue is that it was too ripe for me, but if you enjoy fruit have at it. — 16 days ago

christina a love

9.5

Barnyard yeast excellent 1+1=4 w strong cheese — a month ago

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.3

At dinner at Le Cabotte. Entering a gorgeous drinking window. The nose is classic Chinon, loaded with red currant, crushed herbs, mineral dust, and hints of cassis. Beautiful Cabernet Franc herbaceousness, not green or vegetal, but alive. Red currants, crushed herbs, a little tobacco leaf, iron, stone, and that unmistakable Loire freshness. The fruit has enough generosity from the vintage to give a subtle fleshiness underneath the structure. The palate is all tension and energy. Incredible freshness, mouthwatering acidity, and a long mineral spine carry the wine across the palate. Unlike Baudry’s larger, more powerful bottlings, this is about movement. The fruit feels suspended in the acidity, and every sip seems to pull the next sip forward. After forty minutes of air, the wine became even more expressive. The red currant and herbaceous notes moved to the forefront, joined by gorgeous minerality and tremendous freshness. It is not thick or heavy like Cabernet Sauvignon, nor does it possess the density of Baudry’s biggest cuvées. Instead, it is all acid, tension, energy, and precision. Juicy, vibrant, and effortlessly drinkable, with the kind of electric persistence that makes great Cabernet Franc impossible to put down. — 3 months ago

Jay Kline

9.2

A small portion of Pinot Noir (which makes up approximately 80% of the blend) still wine is added for color; the balance is Chardonnay. Popped and poured; enjoyed over the course of an hour. The Grand Rosé pours a pretty pink color with a persistent mousse. On the nose, the wine is developing with notes of raspberry, red apple, a mix of orchard citrus fruit, marzipan, a hint of brioche and lovely minerals. On the palate, the wine is dry with medium+ acid. Confirming the notes from the nose. The finish is medium+ and round. Very easy to like. Drink now. Disgorged February of 2025. — 6 months ago

Doug Powers

9.3

Some new oak (12 months in oak casks) nicely frames this lovely red-fruited, Grenache-driven CdP, suave, nicely balanced, long, lingering finish, the 1990 CdPs were riper than the 1989s and 1988s, but this is 14% ABV and shows some nice restraint, and is really quite wonderful!! BTW, this was one of the luxury cuvées of CdP that started showing up in 1989/1990, the regular CdP is simply called Beaurenard (this is bottle # 2074, so I’d guess maybe 2,000 cases or so?) — 2 days ago

with Jim

Tom Casagrande

9.1

Always well made and always a great value. Nose needs some air to coax it out. But then there’s gorgeously pure black cherry and crushed stone powder. Mouthfilling flavors of dark, ripe fruit and minerality. Fairly long finish. Seems very tight, and there’s good acidity and some noticeable tannin, so this looks like a sure bet for improvement over the next few years at least. 9.1 for now but I’m pretty sure there’s upside. — 12 days ago

Paul J

9.7

Dark gold color. Slightly past prime. Needs 20 minutes of air. Pears, popcorn, cream, and nuts on the nose. Same on the palate with some vanilla and coconut. Super deep wine with a long finish. I love aged Napa Chard!! — a month ago

with Brooke

Lyle Fass

Founder Fass Selections

9.5

Killer. Granite, red fruits, smoke, leather, so so aromatic. Just filthy. Palate is teeming with energy. It is insane that this regular cuvée from Gripa is so overlooked. A shanda. — 4 months ago

John Bratincevic

9.2

Dry, intense lemon pith, ends with raspberry and apples. Quite nice. — 5 months ago

Brandon Boesch

9.6

This was insanely good. So well balanced. Had with Thai food. — 6 months ago

Bethany Welch

9.0

Light-med body, dry, acidic. Mineral cherry soil. — 6 months ago

Timothy Eustis

Wine Director, Red Lion Inn

9.0

2005. Perhaps a bit past its prime. But still excellent. Morphed to a chalky sense on the palate. Still loved it. — 8 months ago