Paul Hobbs Winemaker Dinner at The Royce in Pasadena

Paul Hobbs Wines. Photo Jill Weinlein

Augustina Hobbs, girl of esteemed winemaker Paul Hobbs, precocious hosted an exquisite vino meal wrong the backstage vino country astatine The Royce. This Michelin sheet designated good eating steakhouse is wrong the luxury Langham Huntington, Pasadena.

While enjoying Chef de Cuisine Jorge Degaldo’s savory amuse bouche, servers opened bottles of 2021 Hillick & Hobbs Estate Dry Riesling for a tasting pairing. Hand-harvested and sorted successful the vineyard from property grapes successful Seneca Lake, NY, this vino is not excessively sweet, and offers a precise pleasing texture. Its delightful fragrant floral aroma is followed by layers of Asian pear, agleam citrus, and an enjoyable earthiness.

Hillick & Hobbs Estate Dry Riesling. Photo Jill Weinlein

The charming and eloquent Augustina, is simply a postgraduate of Cornell University, and present a Sales Consultant for Signature Division SGWS. She shared what it was similar erstwhile she was younger increasing up arsenic a winemaker's daughter. 'I spent my summers successful Napa Valley, Sonoma, New York and Argentina. My fondest memories are walking done the vineyards with my father.'

Augustina's begetter named this quintessential Riesling vino Hillick & Hobbs, to grant his parents, and her grandparents. 'Their past names are connected the label. They met portion attending Cornell University, adjacent Seneca Lake.'

Paul Hobbs planted grapevines astatine their family's workplace to nutrient this wine.

Amuse Bouche astatine The Royce. Photo Jill Weinlein

While sipping this Riesling, 1 notices however it rivals immoderate European Riesling, owed to Hobb’s modern viticulture successful the Finger Lakes. It’s aged and fermented successful 100% stainless alloy to supply a airy vino with agleam acidity and fragrant flavor.

This vino besides went good with the archetypal people of sliced seared tuna connected bladed Granny Smith pome slices. It's enhanced with bee pollen crumble, and a Key Lime and peach conserve for a popular of sweetness and colour connected the plate. 

‘My begetter grew up connected a workplace and attended Notre Dame successful pursuit to beryllium a doctor. After graduating with a Chemistry degree, it was my gramps who convinced my dada to permission aesculapian school, and enroll astatine UC Davis to beryllium a winemaker,” she said.

During his studies her begetter developed an involvement successful Riesling wines, peculiarly those from Germany, which helium considers his archetypal love. He graduated with a Master’s grade successful Viticulture and Enology.

Inspired by his upbringing connected a household farm, helium developed the subject required of farming by planting, harvesting crops, and selling astatine farmers markets earlier schoolhouse each morning. “Everything is for the involvement of the vineyard first, winemaking is 2nd to my father,” said Augustina.

Paul Hobbs Wine. Photo by Jill Weinlein

Bottles of 2021 Paul Hobbs Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley portion were poured astir the array arsenic the 2nd people arrived. “The grapes for this vino were harvested successful the coolness of the evening,” said Augustina. “This seamless somewhat oaky Chardonnay offers nary oak bombs.”

Taking a sip of this 99% estate-owned achromatic wine, it paired beautifully with Chef Jorge’s greenish and achromatic asparagus spheres. This crockery dazzled with hints of Meyer Lemon, marinated Asian pears, a mache crockery and delightful crispy dehydrated Mandarin orangish slices.

Asparagus crockery astatine The Royce. Photo Jill Weinlein

“My dad’s thesis was connected oak extracts, astir the quality betwixt French Oak and California,” said Augustina. When winemaker Robert Mondavi saw this thesis, it caught his attention, and Paul Hobbs started his winemaking vocation successful Napa Valley moving side-by-side with California's vino maestro Mondavi.

To aboriginal Hobb's career, Mondavi handpicked Hobb's for the inaugural Opus One team. After launching Opus One, Paul served arsenic a winemaker astatine Simi Winery earlier consulting astatine respective famed estates—including Napa Valley’s Peter Michael and Lewis Cellars. When helium had the accidental to consult astatine Argentina’s Bodegas Catena.

'His interpreter aboriginal became his woman and my mother,' said Agustina. “While successful Argentina, my dada was 1 of the archetypal to nutrient Malbec successful French barrels.'

She shared however a vino writer from the Seattle Times was invited to Argentina to effort her father's Malbec. A fewer days aboriginal the Seattle Times had an nonfiction titled ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina,” introducing Malbec to the American market.

Paul Hobbs Wine Dinner. Photo Jill Weinlein

Paul honed his winemaking expertise successful improving the wellness and longevity of the vineyards helium owns and visits. He discovered by nurturing grape vines gently, they output the astir absorbing wines. These experiences shaped Paul’s determination to trade single-vineyard wines that showcase the unsocial terroir of California and different fascinating vineyard sites successful the world.  “We person 8 wineries successful 4 continents,' said Augustina.

In 1991, helium contacted viticultural titans successful Napa and Sonoma, Larry Hyde and Richard Dinner to outsource and acquisition 5 tons of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Eventually, those grapes became Paul Hobbs Winery’s debut releases. 

'His namesake wines were made with indigenous yeast, nary filtration, which was communal successful the 1980s and aboriginal 1990s,' said Agustina. 'Today, my dada inactive works with some vineyards successful the pursuit of processing immoderate of the top California wines.'

Augustina shared however her begetter is simply a perfectionist. “My father’s pursuit to item and excellence successful winemaking, includes his meticulous vines and winemaking facilities. His attraction successful the vineyard is minimal intervention, and his cellars output world-class, site-specific wines,' she said.

Beef Carpaccio astatine The Royce. Photo Jill Weinlein

When the 3rd people of thinly sliced New York carpaccio arrived, Chef Jorge described the sheet delivered to each mounting astatine the table. “The cherry puree connected the apical of the sheet has been fermenting for implicit a year, “ said Chef Jorge. I noticed this process produces specified a acheronian cherry mellow flavor.

This crockery was paired with a solid of 2022 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir from grapes harvested on the West Sonoma Coast. It went good with the earthy beef slices and flavorful pickled hon-shimeji mushrooms and curly purple mustard frills.

The ruby reddish Pinot Noir is oculus catching, portion the aroma excites one's palate. Taking a sip I enjoyed the agleam ripe cherry notes with swirls of reddish berries with each sip. There is simply a hint of salinity, backed by good tannins and a axenic effect decorativeness astatine the end.

Prime filet astatine The Royce. Photo Jill Weinlein

Augustina was excited for america to effort 2 antithetic Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignons. The archetypal was a 2020 from Cabernet grapes increasing successful the newer Coombsville country of Napa Valley. This captivating vintage from the Nathan Coombs Estate provides a heavy garnet hue. The luscious bouquet of blackberry aroma provides layers of savory sage and delicate baccy leafage notes.

This wine paired beautifully with Chef Jorge’s 4th course, a petit filet cooked perfectly with a reddish center. This people was served with cigar smoked marble potatoes. This other spirit enhancement to the potatoes provided an aromatic baccy essence with each bite. On apical of the tender beef was a somewhat saccharine achromatic currant condiment with crispy leeks to implicit this course. This crockery paired good with the archetypal Cabernet Sauvignon, nevertheless I truly enjoyed the 2nd Cabernet Sauvignon.

It was a luscious 2011, from the Beckstoffer Las Piedras country of Napa. This velvety refined reddish vino is mellow with its layers of achromatic cherry and reddish berry essence. A hint of caller mint, spices and roseate petals are woven into a interaction of minerality. It's has a silky acheronian cocoa and achromatic beverage finish.

Paul Hobbs continues to grow his vineyard footprint, which contiguous grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. In California, these vineyards agelong crossed premium terroirs successful the Russian River Valley, West Sonoma Coast, and Napa Valley, including estate-owned sites and vineyards farmed by Paul’s agelong lasting spouse growers.

Try immoderate of his property wines producing immoderate of his astir prized, energetic, balanced, and axenic tasting wines for an enjoyable meal.