Really outstanding. Everything you would expect from Paul Hobbs - a new world cabernet but still very classic. Somewhere at the midpoint between old school Napa and modern winemaking. Nothing overdone and absolutely delicious and irresistible. Not sure what he does, but there is a distinctive sweetness on the nose that I love about all Paul Hobbs cabs. Tannins resolved; popped and poured and no need for decanting. The 14.6% alcohol sneaks up on you though. There is no sense of heat and I wolfed this down a little too fast.
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Another big winner from Paul Hobbs in 2012. A truly massive wine, much more so than the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane which I also tasted (and rated higher). Huge amount of sediment. Definitely could have taken more cellar time. Reminded me of PH Beckstoffer To-Kalon. Incredible depth.
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I'll go with the community score here. Really nice drinking, huge nose, big flavors and good balance. Went best with grilled prime ribeyes (imaging that), but tannins stood out after steak was gone. Wait a couple years if you can.
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where to begin, brought out for birthday dinner to pair with some filet. decanted for 30 min before glass pour. Aromas abound with notes of flowers and dark fruit, plum and blackberry. color dark ruby. another 30 min and we poured glass two, tannins softened slightly, smoothed out the glass, long lasting in the mouth, loved the way it played against the sides of truffle parm frites and balsamic Brussel sprouts. dare say top 5 pours, too bad can't be my birthday everyday!!!
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Probably my favorite Cabernet I’ve ever had. Opened one exactly a year ago, and am even more blown away this time with the power, grace, harmony, and integration. In it’s prime window to drink now, especially with a good ribeye. Notes ranged from plumb, currant, mocha, black tea, graphite, fig sauce, and blueberry, sailed on the finish for miles and left me shaking my head in wonder. Epic.
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Perfectly balanced, drinking well. Wonderful bouquet of berries/herbs. Good finish - velvety. Beckstoffer vineyards are always a winner in my experience. Had with a 3lb Tomahawk Ribeye.
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An absolute knockout, big yet balanced. Epic expression of St. Helena Cabernet, in its prime drinking window. Paired beautifully with braised short ribs.
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Double decanted for 90 min, deep ruby/purple, black cherry with vanilla, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding, still young, just starting to shed the baby fat, hold for another year or 2
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At Vauclause in NYC with good friends after the final opera of Wagner's Ring. We drank side by side with a Shafer Hillside Select of the same vintage. Both wines were opened 6 hours in advance and then decanted. Dark fruit on the nose. The palate was dark berries, charred meat, mocha, cedar and touch of dried thyme. The finish was long and full. Of the two great wines we consumed last night this was my personal favorite as to me it was more structured hence the extra point.
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Came across some bottles in the secondary market at a pretty good price and decided to give it a shot since this might be my last chance to taste a Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer cab at under $200 again. Dark ruby fruit - blackberry, dark currants, dark cherry, and a little blueberry. Really smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth/concentration and a nice purity - medium plus body. Rich flavors of dark berries, some spice/licorice, a little chocolate/cocoa, and a mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Not much improvement with time but at a nice drinking point. In my opinion, more of an elegant profile at least in comparison to the Quivet and Carter Las Piedras cabs which I have more experince with. For me, a little better than the 95 rating from WA. The 90 rating from WS is silly - I don’t know why I even pay attention to their ratings anymore. 100% cab.
Paul Hobbs is one of my favorite producers. This particular wine is not as heavy as you might expect given the price. Bright, fresh fruit flavors. Drinking very well young, as is the case for most 2012 CaCabs. It's hard for me to put it down.
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Decanted for 3 hours. Exquisite wine with prominent notes of blackberry and cassis with notes of cedar and mocha. Full bodied and complex. Drinking well now but might get even better with more ageing. Went really well with a flat iron steak.
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Decanted 3 hours. Heavy and extracted with cassis, vanilla extract, milk chocolate, blueberry, and new leather. A clunky style that's great now with steak but may age to become overly syrupy. For now a streak of minerality keeps it in check.
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This classy wine delivers rich fruit, lovely nuance, and a silky mouthfeel that is utterly charming. Dark red in color, medium in body, nose of black cherry, cocoa, and baking spices. Tastes of blueberry, milk chocolate, licorice, and cedar, with a lifted, almost airy finish that goes on and on. 14.6% alcohol. The wine gained steam about 90 minutes into the decanter, when the briary notes became blueberry notes. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
This rivals the Fait-Main version from this vineyard, which had been my favorite to date. Speaking very generally - and from limited experience - this seems to be on the more restrained and subtle side of wines from Las Piedras. In contrast, the Fait-Main has similar grace but more ripeness and weight; the Quivet has the same ripeness and power, but is more tannic and rustic. The Hobbs version has a class and understatement that is just lovely - almost a floral quality that is rare in such a rich Cabernet. Bottom line, this wine is impeccably made - and completely delicious.
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A truly stunning bottle of wine. PnP displayed beautifully pure red, black, and purple fruit notes, black raspberry, red and black currant, black slate, river rock/gravel, pumice, and a hint of alcohol-laced vanilla. Obviously a young pup, but came across with one of the most balanced exhibition of both poise and elegance, as well as hauntingly deep concentration. The back end kicked back in with some raspberry liqueur notes, and then softly clamped down on the finish.
The legs on this thing went on for days. Acid in perfect check. It's been years since I've had a PH Cabernet; I have no idea why in the heck I've been waiting so long to try another one. This LPV is a really impressive expression of the site. The tight minerality kept things interesting, as did the predominantly red fruit notes swashing around with the black fruit.
Decanted this for a total of three hours. Toward the final sips, the fruit liqueur and alcohol started to become a little more prominent. Some of the other nuances started to shut down slightly. A good year or two of sleep will do this well. I'll hold remaining bottles until then.
95-96+ points, with upside in 18-24 months minimum.
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The bouquet was at first restrained, slowly opening to reveal mineral-infused black fruits, mint, dark florals, and hints of spice. On the palate, I found silky textures with notes of blackberry, plum, and minerals. The finish was fresh with saturating dark fruits and hints of fine tannin. This is a brooding beast with years of development ahead.
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Winter in Wineland; 1/14/2017-1/20/2017 (Sonoma & Napa): Lots and lots of blackberries in a glass. Milder tannin. Well balanced. Very fruit forward. There's a reason Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of grapes and I think in some ways this stood out to me partially because we had been drinking mostly Pinot and others all day.
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Decanted for 4 hours prior to consumption. Good move.
Deep, dark, inky in color and brimming with concentration. On the nose this classic Beckstoffer Cab exuded a wonderful richness with dark cherries, blackberries, dark cocoa with toasty oak & vanilla overtones. I also picked up some baking spices, roasted coffee ground notes, hints of herbs and nice finish of terroir. Full bodied with a very good concentration of youthful, still developing & evolving, well balanced, smooth textured, rich, ripe dark dense, fruit flavors of black cherries, blackberries, vanilla, toasted oak, baking spices, herbs de Provence, dark cocoa, espresso and earth notes. The finish long, velvety and rich. I think this cab will only get better with age, but is singing in its youth and paired brilliantly with Standing Rib Roast. I could not see a justification for scoring this wine less than 95 points.
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Apparently this means 'the stones' as named by the workers. Lovely fruit without any angular tannins. Nice velvety length with just enough grip. More delicate than the bigger 'To Kalon' though technically the Piedras has more colour pigment.
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Tasted at the winery. Lots of mineral, acid; not as much fruit as '12 Dr. Crane. Excellent wine, this is ready to go, fully integrated and balanced. I scored this just one point below the Dr. Crane, in part because of its more austere style.
That being said, Dr. Crane has comparatively a *TON* of fruit. Las Piedras may only have 3/4 of a ton of fruit, but believe me, it is not a shy wine, nor is it fading. If properly stored, I would venture to stay it should hold up well until the early 2020s at least. I don't have any experience with older PH so I'm just going with my gut here.
Deep dark purple almost inky wine in color. On the nose it is still pretty tight and giving up just hints of blue and black fruit. Reminds me of the smell of jam. On the palate this is a huge wine that is well structured but has huge fruit and quite a bit of tannin still. I drank this one a bit young just to see how it is doing. The finish is very long and tasty making me want to take another drink. Hold the next few bottles for a year at least.
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Sampled at Country Vintner Mid Atlantic Spring Trade Show
One of the better 2012's I've had to date for Napa valley. Really showcases the sweeter St. Helena valley fruit in an ageworthy package. Not flabby or overripe like many 2012's.
Medium body with enough acid but slightly jarring tannins midpalate. Candied red fruit upfront with deeper blackcurrant and blackberry pie filling following. Sweet cream, wet concrete and a volcanic minerality add interest but right now this is purely a fruit driven Napa classic.
price is high but this is going to be great for shorter term cellaring. drink 2017-
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Very dark ruby red. Hints of spice and tobacco. On the plate fully coating my tounge. Chocolate and spice very balanced with integrated tannins. Great finish
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Deep, dark, inky in color; cannot see through glass. Nose was initially reticent, but it eventually developed with decanting and extended airing into attractive & fragrant aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & dark plums with toasty oak & vanilla overtones, spices, some dark cocoa & roasted coffee ground notes, dried herbs, a hint of mint/eucalyptus, earthy and minerals. Full bodied with a very good concentration of youthful, still developing & evolving, well balanced, smooth textured, rich, ripe dark dense, fruit flavors of sweet cherries, blackberries & plums with vanilla, toasted oak, spices, herbs, dark cocoa, espresso, mint & minerals. Lingering finish. Needs additional aging to fully develop and open up further although you could decant it now and allow it to open over time. It has a lot of potential. An excellent example of 2012 California Cabernet.
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3/27/2024 - daved Likes this wine: 95 Points
Excellent, but it was blown away by our 1978 Mondavi
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12/27/2023 - webbaker Likes this wine: 97 Points
Simply outstanding, drinking beautifully.
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12/11/2023 - Jonathan T Likes this wine: 97 Points
Really outstanding. Everything you would expect from Paul Hobbs - a new world cabernet but still very classic. Somewhere at the midpoint between old school Napa and modern winemaking. Nothing overdone and absolutely delicious and irresistible. Not sure what he does, but there is a distinctive sweetness on the nose that I love about all Paul Hobbs cabs. Tannins resolved; popped and poured and no need for decanting. The 14.6% alcohol sneaks up on you though. There is no sense of heat and I wolfed this down a little too fast.
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6/10/2023 - RusisWine wrote:
Cherry, dark fruits with great legs. Needs more time to blow of big fruits.
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9/6/2022 - msf6msf6 Likes this wine: 95 Points
This is just super solid stuff. Really nice, full bodied wine that is typical Napa cab and is in a really good spot at the moment.
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3/28/2022 - webbaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
Another big winner from Paul Hobbs in 2012. A truly massive wine, much more so than the Beckstoffer Dr. Crane which I also tasted (and rated higher). Huge amount of sediment. Definitely could have taken more cellar time. Reminded me of PH Beckstoffer To-Kalon. Incredible depth.
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3/12/2022 - levinml wrote: 95 Points
I'll go with the community score here. Really nice drinking, huge nose, big flavors and good balance. Went best with grilled prime ribeyes (imaging that), but tannins stood out after steak was gone. Wait a couple years if you can.
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7/6/2021 - daved Likes this wine: 97 Points
Scrumptious
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5/11/2021 - kevbuffalo Likes this wine: 96 Points
where to begin, brought out for birthday dinner to pair with some filet. decanted for 30 min before glass pour. Aromas abound with notes of flowers and dark fruit, plum and blackberry. color dark ruby.
another 30 min and we poured glass two, tannins softened slightly, smoothed out the glass, long lasting in the mouth, loved the way it played against the sides of truffle parm frites and balsamic Brussel sprouts.
dare say top 5 pours, too bad can't be my birthday everyday!!!
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3/5/2021 - djjagdish Likes this wine: 97 Points
Probably my favorite Cabernet I’ve ever had. Opened one exactly a year ago, and am even more blown away this time with the power, grace, harmony, and integration. In it’s prime window to drink now, especially with a good ribeye. Notes ranged from plumb, currant, mocha, black tea, graphite, fig sauce, and blueberry, sailed on the finish for miles and left me shaking my head in wonder. Epic.
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6/21/2020 - projectgoboy Likes this wine:
Perfectly balanced, drinking well. Wonderful bouquet of berries/herbs. Good finish - velvety. Beckstoffer vineyards are always a winner in my experience. Had with a 3lb Tomahawk Ribeye.
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5/6/2020 - Fid Likes this wine: 95 Points
Drank over 4 days. Each day kept getting better. Day 3 and Day 4 were almost identical.
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4/7/2020 - djjagdish Likes this wine: 96 Points
An absolute knockout, big yet balanced. Epic expression of St. Helena Cabernet, in its prime drinking window. Paired beautifully with braised short ribs.
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2/24/2020 - WizardNeedsFood Likes this wine: 95 Points
1hr decant. Delicious. Classic LPV profile. Rich and luscious fruit. Medium body, nice tannins, long finish.
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11/10/2019 - daved Likes this wine: 96 Points
pnp'd and it took a while to open up.
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11/7/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Double decanted for 90 min, deep ruby/purple, black cherry with vanilla, med. tannins, long finish; outstanding, still young, just starting to shed the baby fat, hold for another year or 2
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4/27/2019 - markcic Likes this wine: 96 Points
At Vauclause in NYC with good friends after the final opera of Wagner's Ring. We drank side by side with a Shafer Hillside Select of the same vintage. Both wines were opened 6 hours in advance and then decanted. Dark fruit on the nose. The palate was dark berries, charred meat, mocha, cedar and touch of dried thyme. The finish was long and full. Of the two great wines we consumed last night this was my personal favorite as to me it was more structured hence the extra point.
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3/15/2019 - Badmonkey wrote: 96 Points
Came across some bottles in the secondary market at a pretty good price and decided to give it a shot since this might be my last chance to taste a Paul Hobbs Beckstoffer cab at under $200 again. Dark ruby fruit - blackberry, dark currants, dark cherry, and a little blueberry. Really smooth mid-palate coupled with solid depth/concentration and a nice purity - medium plus body. Rich flavors of dark berries, some spice/licorice, a little chocolate/cocoa, and a mineral/graphite component. Fairly long finish. Decanted for one hour and drank over a couple more. Not much improvement with time but at a nice drinking point. In my opinion, more of an elegant profile at least in comparison to the Quivet and Carter Las Piedras cabs which I have more experince with. For me, a little better than the 95 rating from WA. The 90 rating from WS is silly - I don’t know why I even pay attention to their ratings anymore. 100% cab.
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3/9/2019 - daved Likes this wine: 97 Points
same as prior tasting
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2/28/2019 - daved Likes this wine: 97 Points
Plush, full bodied and drinking extraordinarily well at this young age.
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6/19/2018 - webbaker Likes this wine: 96 Points
Paul Hobbs is one of my favorite producers. This particular wine is not as heavy as you might expect given the price. Bright, fresh fruit flavors. Drinking very well young, as is the case for most 2012 CaCabs. It's hard for me to put it down.
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6/10/2018 - rougeamore Likes this wine: 96 Points
Decanted for 3 hours. Exquisite wine with prominent notes of blackberry and cassis with notes of cedar and mocha. Full bodied and complex. Drinking well now but might get even better with more ageing. Went really well with a flat iron steak.
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1/25/2018 - jnocera Likes this wine: 94 Points
Such a great wine. Lucious and full bodied wine. Great structure.
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9/26/2017 - Combo Likes this wine: 95 Points
Tasted at winery, decanted. It was fabulous - one of the best cabs I’ve had.
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6/16/2017 - MAXIMUM SATISFACTION wrote: 95 Points
Decanted 3 hours. Heavy and extracted with cassis, vanilla extract, milk chocolate, blueberry, and new leather. A clunky style that's great now with steak but may age to become overly syrupy. For now a streak of minerality keeps it in check.
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5/29/2017 - glou.sf Likes this wine: 94 Points
Dark fruit, cassis, smoke, and leather on the deep nose. Surprisingly soft tannins with lots of dark fruit and plums on the heavy palate. Nice finish.
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5/28/2017 - msuwine wrote: 96 Points
This classy wine delivers rich fruit, lovely nuance, and a silky mouthfeel that is utterly charming. Dark red in color, medium in body, nose of black cherry, cocoa, and baking spices. Tastes of blueberry, milk chocolate, licorice, and cedar, with a lifted, almost airy finish that goes on and on. 14.6% alcohol. The wine gained steam about 90 minutes into the decanter, when the briary notes became blueberry notes. 100% Cabernet Sauvignon.
This rivals the Fait-Main version from this vineyard, which had been my favorite to date. Speaking very generally - and from limited experience - this seems to be on the more restrained and subtle side of wines from Las Piedras. In contrast, the Fait-Main has similar grace but more ripeness and weight; the Quivet has the same ripeness and power, but is more tannic and rustic. The Hobbs version has a class and understatement that is just lovely - almost a floral quality that is rare in such a rich Cabernet. Bottom line, this wine is impeccably made - and completely delicious.
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3/16/2017 - csimm wrote: 96 Points
A truly stunning bottle of wine. PnP displayed beautifully pure red, black, and purple fruit notes, black raspberry, red and black currant, black slate, river rock/gravel, pumice, and a hint of alcohol-laced vanilla. Obviously a young pup, but came across with one of the most balanced exhibition of both poise and elegance, as well as hauntingly deep concentration. The back end kicked back in with some raspberry liqueur notes, and then softly clamped down on the finish.
The legs on this thing went on for days. Acid in perfect check. It's been years since I've had a PH Cabernet; I have no idea why in the heck I've been waiting so long to try another one. This LPV is a really impressive expression of the site. The tight minerality kept things interesting, as did the predominantly red fruit notes swashing around with the black fruit.
Decanted this for a total of three hours. Toward the final sips, the fruit liqueur and alcohol started to become a little more prominent. Some of the other nuances started to shut down slightly. A good year or two of sleep will do this well. I'll hold remaining bottles until then.
95-96+ points, with upside in 18-24 months minimum.
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2/2/2017 - Eric Guido Likes this wine: 95 Points
The bouquet was at first restrained, slowly opening to reveal mineral-infused black fruits, mint, dark florals, and hints of spice. On the palate, I found silky textures with notes of blackberry, plum, and minerals. The finish was fresh with saturating dark fruits and hints of fine tannin. This is a brooding beast with years of development ahead.
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1/16/2017 - MC2 Wines Likes this wine:
Winter in Wineland; 1/14/2017-1/20/2017 (Sonoma & Napa): Lots and lots of blackberries in a glass. Milder tannin. Well balanced. Very fruit forward. There's a reason Cabernet Sauvignon is the king of grapes and I think in some ways this stood out to me partially because we had been drinking mostly Pinot and others all day.
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11/20/2016 - DawgByte Likes this wine: 95 Points
Decanted for 4 hours prior to consumption. Good move.
Deep, dark, inky in color and brimming with concentration. On the nose this classic Beckstoffer Cab exuded a wonderful richness with dark cherries, blackberries, dark cocoa with toasty oak & vanilla overtones. I also picked up some baking spices, roasted coffee ground notes, hints of herbs and nice finish of terroir. Full bodied with a very good concentration of youthful, still developing & evolving, well balanced, smooth textured, rich, ripe dark dense, fruit flavors of black cherries, blackberries, vanilla, toasted oak, baking spices, herbs de Provence, dark cocoa, espresso and earth notes. The finish long, velvety and rich. I think this cab will only get better with age, but is singing in its youth and paired brilliantly with Standing Rib Roast. I could not see a justification for scoring this wine less than 95 points.
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11/7/2016 - SlimShaney wrote: 93 Points
Apparently this means 'the stones' as named by the workers. Lovely fruit without any angular tannins. Nice velvety length with just enough grip. More delicate than the bigger 'To Kalon' though technically the Piedras has more colour pigment.
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9/27/2016 - skurtz Likes this wine: 93 Points
Tasted at the winery. Lots of mineral, acid; not as much fruit as '12 Dr. Crane. Excellent wine, this is ready to go, fully integrated and balanced. I scored this just one point below the Dr. Crane, in part because of its more austere style.
That being said, Dr. Crane has comparatively a *TON* of fruit. Las Piedras may only have 3/4 of a ton of fruit, but believe me, it is not a shy wine, nor is it fading. If properly stored, I would venture to stay it should hold up well until the early 2020s at least. I don't have any experience with older PH so I'm just going with my gut here.
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4/20/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 94 Points
Deep dark purple almost inky wine in color. On the nose it is still pretty tight and giving up just hints of blue and black fruit. Reminds me of the smell of jam. On the palate this is a huge wine that is well structured but has huge fruit and quite a bit of tannin still. I drank this one a bit young just to see how it is doing. The finish is very long and tasty making me want to take another drink. Hold the next few bottles for a year at least.
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3/23/2016 - Merky_Waters Likes this wine: 91 Points
Sampled at Country Vintner Mid Atlantic Spring Trade Show
One of the better 2012's I've had to date for Napa valley. Really showcases the sweeter St. Helena valley fruit in an ageworthy package. Not flabby or overripe like many 2012's.
Medium body with enough acid but slightly jarring tannins midpalate. Candied red fruit upfront with deeper blackcurrant and blackberry pie filling following. Sweet cream, wet concrete and a volcanic minerality add interest but right now this is purely a fruit driven Napa classic.
price is high but this is going to be great for shorter term cellaring. drink 2017-
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3/9/2016 - jnocera Likes this wine: 95 Points
Very dark ruby red. Hints of spice and tobacco. On the plate fully coating my tounge. Chocolate and spice very balanced with integrated tannins. Great finish
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12/23/2014 - Vinnut Likes this wine: 93 Points
Deep, dark, inky in color; cannot see through glass. Nose was initially reticent, but it eventually developed with decanting and extended airing into attractive & fragrant aromas of dark cherries, blackberries & dark plums with toasty oak & vanilla overtones, spices, some dark cocoa & roasted coffee ground notes, dried herbs, a hint of mint/eucalyptus, earthy and minerals. Full bodied with a very good concentration of youthful, still developing & evolving, well balanced, smooth textured, rich, ripe dark dense, fruit flavors of sweet cherries, blackberries & plums with vanilla, toasted oak, spices, herbs, dark cocoa, espresso, mint & minerals. Lingering finish. Needs additional aging to fully develop and open up further although you could decant it now and allow it to open over time. It has a lot of potential. An excellent example of 2012 California Cabernet.
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