Wine: 2008 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Lindsay Estate
Region: California
Sokolin Price: $84.99/btl
Rating: 95 RP
This past weekend with our out of town guests, we tasted the fruits of a pure winemaking genius, Paul Hobbs. He has to be one of the most fantastic winemakers in all of California and is known for his wines from single vineyard estates. He currently produces wines from ten different vineyards and we decided to taste-test the pinot noir from the Lindsay Estate Vineyard. This vineyard is located in the Russian River Valley AVA inside Sonoma County. Due to the cool climate, the pinot noir grape does very well in this area, and the Lindsay Vineyard is planted completely with pinot noir. If you are wondering who Lindsay is, this estate is actually named after Paul's great grandmother.
The 2008 vintage overall was a very good vintage for Cali pinot noir, although admittedly not as good as the heralded 2007 vintage. Still, it had all of the components of a great wine - a nice balance of acidity, tannin, fruit and structure. Since we were hosting out of town guests and didn't have much time to spend in the kitchen, we wanted to keep the menu simple and stress-free. We paired this bottle of wine with angel hair pasta, broccoli rabe and small flounder filets all lightly tossed in garlic and olive oil with a few herbs and spices mixed in.
The Pinot Noir Lindsay Estate gives off light aromas of pretty flowers, blackberries, raspberries and perfume. This wine definitely has a lot going on! And as the night went on, it picked up more weight, and really delivered perfection. It's hard for any wine drinker not to be blown away by this wine, especially you pinot noir lovers out there. Parker said, "This dazzling Pinot Noir can be enjoyed over the next decade." And dazzling this wine is.
Parker gave this wine 95 points, an excellent score, for a bottle priced under $85, especially for a single vineyard.
Our Recommendation: If we had to choose one really special pinot noir for any occasion this summer, like a wedding, picnic, dinner party or anniversary, we'd pick this top-notch single vineyard estate wine. It is a showstopper that will make the evening even more exceptional.
Our Table Score - 95+ points