91-93
Antonio Galloni - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
"The 2011 Pinot Noir Hyde Vineyard is much more polished than the 2010. The aromas and flavors are all beautifully articulated. Pretty and fruit driven, the 2010 is laced with sweet tobacco, cedar, sage and smoke. I very much like the way Hobbs has drawn out the density of the fruit but without any excess heaviness. Anticipated maturity: 2014-2021.
It is always fascinating to sit down with Paul Hobbs and his winemaker Megan Baccitich, as these Chardonnays and Pinots run the gamut of styles, clones and sites in Sonoma. According to Hobbs, the 2010 harvest was two weeks later than normal, while 2011 was three weeks later than normal! One of the other main differences is that temperatures increased toward the end of 2010, but stayed very much on the cool side in 2011. My impression is that when all is said and done, vintage 2011 will turn out to be superior to 2010 for this range. As always, the Hobbs house style does a very nice job of capturing both textural richness and plenty of site specificity."
92+ Josh Raynolds - Vinous Media
"Dark ruby. Slowly opens up to display scents of dark berries, cherry-cola and mocha, with a brooding note of licorice in the background. Chewy and densely packed, with intense dark fruit flavors that are brightened by sneaky minerality. Shows very good energy on the finish, which leaves smoky cherry and black raspberry notes behind. This wine will definitely benefit from decanting if you plan on drinking it any time soon."