2018 Paul Hobbs Pinot Noir Cleary Estate
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Tasting notes
The 2018 Pinot Noir Cleary Estate comes from a new vineyard in Freestone that's dry farmed. It has a medium ruby-purple color and aromas of fresh blueberries and blackberries, peppercorn, orange peel and oolong tea leaves. The palate is light to medium-bodied, perfumed and saline in character with a firm, grainy frame and seamless freshness carrying the long, citrus-laced finish. 201 cases produced.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
From a property located on the Sonoma Coast and 92% destemmed and brought up in 50% new French oak, the 2018 Pinot Noir Cleary Estate has incredible complexity. While it's a rich, concentrated wine, it’s also another elegant, flawlessly balanced wine from Hobbs. Notes of black raspberries, red plums, strawberries, black tea, and spring flower aromas and flavors all flow to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced 2018. It has classic Sonoma Coast elegance and vibrancy, yet still has beautiful fruit and length.
The 2018 Pinot Noir Cleary Estate is wonderfully lifted and nuanced, yet there is plenty of depth too. Crushed flowers, mint, red berries, anise and citrus peel are all finely knit in a wine of real distinction and class. More than anything, the Cleary Estate is the sort of wine that constantly changes in the glass. It is at times quite powerful, while in other moments it shows a more refined side of its multi-faceted personality.
About the producer
Paul Hobbs is one of California wine’s biggest names. Twice named Wine Personality of the Year by Robert Parker, he joined Robert Mondavi in 1977, worked at Opus One and Simi before setting up his eponymous winery in 1991.