I’ve spent the better part of 25 years buying, selling, and—most importantly—drinking Paul Hobbs wines. Yet somehow, until last week, I had never actually met the man himself.
There were close calls. Twenty-four years ago, my wife and I visited Napa on our honeymoon and tasted Hobbs wines (back when tastings were hosted at Laird Family Estate, before Paul had his own facility), but he was out of town. Fifteen years ago, I met his brother Matt here in St. Louis. Still, Paul Hobbs—the man, the myth, the legend—remained just out of reach.
That finally changed last week in St. Louis, and the experience delivered more than just a long-overdue introduction. In a surprising twist, one of the most compelling wines Paul poured that evening wasn’t his own—it was a glimpse into the next generation of Hobbs winemaking.
Enter Augustina L. Hobbs.
Her inaugural release, the ALH 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon, is sourced from hand-harvested grapes grown in select blocks of the storied Nathan Coombs Estate. It’s a wine that carries both pedigree and perspective—deeply rooted in Napa tradition, yet clearly driven by a fresh, confident voice.
We were able to secure a small initial allocation, with more cases on the way (for now). And if this was the bottle that stood out at a Paul Hobbs tasting, that tells you everything you need to know