Hobo Wine Co Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley California 750ml

Our Alexander Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is intended to be approachable, consumed relatively young, and a versatile food companion. We are always after a more subtle, more restrained, almost lighter style of Cabernet Sauvignon than what may be typical in California these days, but also something that is bright and characteristic of the variety.  Lean and a little rustic like a lot of French wine, but fruit forward like the best of California.

The grapes for this wine come about 82% from our own block in Mitch Patin’s Lloyd Vineyard on West Soda Rock Road planted in 1998 towards the southern end of Alexander Valley on the banks of the Russian River. 11% comes from the Larrick Vineyard that we farm, and the remaining 7% is Malbec from J. Rickard in Cloverdale. 

As always, this wine was produced more like a Pinot more than a Cab. Fermented in open-tops with native yeasts, punched down by hand, and racked to barrels before being aged in 2nd fill French oak barrels for 15 months.

Kenny on Hobo 2020

18 years come with some perspective, right or wrong, good or bad. This thing started with two barrels of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, no business plan, no real idea how the wine world works, and kind of just a reckless abandon because consequences weren’t something we were aware of. Fast forward to now and we have 1000 barrels or more, no business plan, only a vague idea how the wine world works, and enough responsibility to provide many a sleepless night. We hope we have learned a few things though.

1. We are fortunate. I drink whenever I want, day or night, under the guise of “work” and it is actually a legit claim.

2. We are fortunate. We love wine, vineyards, community, and the way they all interconnect and we have gotten to spend our lives exploring the connection between the three.

3. We are fortunate. Customers who share our values, sensibility and taste have supported us, what we do, and who we are. This is more than fortunate, this is a blessing.

After nearly two decades, this thing, from an aerial view is actually two things: Winemaking, a craft, maybe an art, definitely an expression, an egocentric place to have an opinion and: wine business, a sometimes shrewd, a sometimes cynical, a sometimes amazing, an always reality check. The two are co-dependent, but not inseparable. Sometimes, we make winemaking decisions and sometimes with responsibility and pseudo-maturity weighing on us inevitably, we make business decisions. We are happy when the two align and the decisions are easy and we are torn, struggling, stressed, and uncertain when they don’t.

So, why? Simply, we don’t know how to do anything else and we don’t want to learn. We have spend our adult lives pursuing one pursuit, one dream, one way of being. Anything else, anything less would be a sacrifice, the worst kind of compromise, and personal failure. The 21st century has given us the luxury to believe that we are entitled, that we deserve to love what we do. We bought into this kind of individual worth, self fulfilling prophecy sort of thinking so full-heartedly that there is absolutely no turning back. The wine world is stuck with Hobo and so are you.

Most of whatever else you might want to know about us, you can probably find on a Google search.

Thank you

Kenny (circa 2020 when there was a lot of time for reflection)

https://www.hobowines.com