2013 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vd

This is incredible with blackberry, oyster shell and iodine. Stones and graphite. Perfect nose. Full-bodied, yet so balanced and dense with terrific subtle fruit and a salty, savory finish. Like sea salt with raw wagyu meat. Perfect. Better in 2020, but amazing.

The second perfect score I have given to a Hobbs Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (the other was the 2002), the 2013 is as spectacular as his 2002 was. There are 638 cases of this massive wine that comes across like a first-growth Pauillac. Lead pencil shavings, cedar wood, blueberry and blackberry liqueur as well as hints of forest floor and tobacco leaf are all present in this fragrant, sumptuously textured, full-bodied, massively rich yet sensationally well-balanced Cabernet Sauvignon. It has a finish of well over 55 seconds. This is amazing work, and interestingly, I believe Hobbs was the first to offer a Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard designated Cabernet Sauvignon.

The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Beckstoffer To Kalon Vineyard is superb. Lavender, mint, violets, cloves, black cherries, plums and dark spices are all beautifully delineated in the glass. The 2013 is opulent, but also intensely mineral, with tons of energy and pure vibrancy. The tannins need time to soften, but there is plenty to like here.

Young and powerful, with wall-to-wall flavors that are deeply extracted and firmly tannic, centered on gutsy dark berry, currant, anise, cigar box and cedar. Best from 2020 through 2034.-J.L.