Paul Hobbs has rapidly established himself as an hors Bordeaux star of La Place, with Cobos, from Mendoza, and Cristina’s Vineyard, from Coombsville in the Napa Valley, already icons of its September releases. He speaks to db Bordeaux correspondent Colin Hay. Hobbs’ links to Bordeaux are more long-established and his influence over the wines coming to La Place is more extensive than often assumed. Indeed, there is no-one better placed to understand both the opportunity of La Place beyond Bordeaux and the challenges it faces today. I sat down with him on his final visit to Bordeaux before the September releases to discuss La Place, its evolution, the difficult market context and, of course, his new releases – both of which we tasted together. I started by establishing a little of his personal biography. CH: Can you tell us about your history in wine. When did it start and how did you get from there (Mondavi at the beginning) to here (your second set of releases on La Place)? PH: Following my master’s degree work at UC Davis and a thesis comparing French to American oak extracts, I began my winemaking career in 1978 working side-by-side with Robert Mondavi. He also entrusted me with a life-changing role on the inaugural Opus One team. After seven years with Robert Mondavi Winery, I served as winemaker at Simi Winery before consulting several renowned estates with the idea of understanding different terroirs and being able to finance my own business. In 1989,
This Article was originally published on The Drink Business - Fine Wine
