2012 Hobel Wine Works Engelhard Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Hobel Wine Works started as a dream in 1998, when Cameron Hobel and Thomas Rivers Brown met. Hobel had been a wine sales executive at several auction houses, including Christie’s, and had launched his own wine import company. Brown was a rising star in Napa Valley winemaking, first working as assistant winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars. For a decade Hobel and Brown talked about starting a wine project together, and in 2009 they produced their first Hobel Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon. Today the estate is owned by Hobel and his wife Bahaneh. Brown, now a highly acclaimed winemaker involved in numerous winemaking enterprises, makes Hobel wines. The estate produces a single Cabernet Sauvignon, generally available only through a mailing list.

Diamond Mountain District AVA is in the Mayacamas Mountains at the northwestern end of Napa Valley. The appellation is relatively high and the entire district is more than 400 feet above sea level. Some vineyards are as high as 2,200 feet above sea level. Because of their altitude, Diamond Mountain vineyards experience warmer days but colder nights than vineyards on the valley floor. Once volcanic soil, the terrain in the appellation has over time become less fertile, making grape growing particularly challenging. Nevertheless the district has attracted wine producers for more than a century. There are 500 vineyard acres out of a total of 5,000 acres. Among the highly regarded wineries here are Lokoya Winery, Diamond Creek Vineyards and Schramsberg Vineyards. Diamond Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc are generally firmly structured, rich and quite tannic. Chardonnay is full-bodied with apple and peach aromas and firm acidity.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.