Winemaker Notes
One of the first vineyards Paul Hobbs sourced from since the winery was founded in 1991, the wine exhibits aromas of black fruits and cherry that lead to a palate of ripe currant and clean earth. Firm tannin's and touch of acidity grace a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
From the Carneros region in the southern part of the valley, the 2018 Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard gives up a Burgundian bouquet of black cherries, mulberries, smoked earth, and candied violets. It shows more and more floral tones with time in the glass and is beautifully textured, medium to full-bodied, and has silky tannins. It's terrific today, yet it has a solid spine of acidity that's going to allow it to evolve gracefully for a solid decade or more. This cuvée was just about all destemmed (there are 8% stems) and spent 15 months in 53% new French oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2018 Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard has beautiful expression this vintage, with delicate aromas of lilac, bay leaf, orange peel and warm blueberries with a core of pure red and black berry fruit. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and nuanced, all polish and class, with a long, juicy finish.
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James Suckling
This is very layered, yet there is an agile and lively edge to the wine. Medium-to full-bodied, creamy and chewy. Flavorful finish. Tight now. Give it two to three years of bottle age. Try after 2023.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
We have long been admirers of the Paul Hobbs Pinots sourced from Larry Hyde’s Carneros estate, and nothing has changed in 2018. From its very deep aromas of pristine cherries, clean earth and caramel to its concentrated, like-minded flavors, it displays a good deal of richness and farreaching range with plenty of fruity reserve upon which to grow. It is very well-structured with a bit of youthful coarseness evident at the finish, but make no mistake, time is its ally, and the wine has all of the right pieces in place to guarantee increasing rewards for another five to ten years.
As early as the 1970s Carneros became known as a source of terrific Pinot Noir, and was one of the first California regions to gain such a reputation. The combination of sunny days, cooling fog and thin clay soils are tailor-made for the variety. Another factor in Pinot Noir’s prominent place here is vintners’ willingness to experiment widely. The history of the grape in Carneros is marked by continuous research into clonal variations, viticultural techniques and site selection. Careful evaluation over time has revealed a signature flavor profile as well. Complex aromas and flavors of cherry, red berry, spice, earth and cola appear time and again in Carneros Pinot Noir. To this day the appellation remains one of California’s standard bearers for the variety.