I started paying attention at an early age. Specifically, the day my dad brought home a bottle of 1962 Château d’Yquem, and poured it into little Dixie paper cups around the family dinner table. The bouquet, the flavor, and the experience made an impression on me. I became passionate about wine, and the vineyards that produce the wine. In 1969, I convinced my father to uproot a section of our apple orchard and replant it with wine grapes, and my father put me in charge of the endeavor.

At the university of Notre Dame, my botany professor, a former winemaker at Christian Brothers Winery in California, encouraged me to attend his weekly wine-tasting seminars. I had enrolled at Notre Dame with the intention of becoming a viticulturist. These seminars shifted that focus and began my life-long commitment to winemaking.

To pursue winemaking, I enrolled in the Master of Food Science program in the Department of Enology, at the University of California at Davis. My thesis on oak extraction led to a job at Robert Mondavi Winery as a research technician. Valuable hands-on production experience resulted in a promotion to Enologist. Among other responsibilities I was assigned to the Opus One team, and in 1981 was appointed Head Enologist.

Constantly paying attention and learning more, I evolved as a winemaker joining Simi Winery in February 1985, as Assistant Winemaker. One of my first tasks was to author a new cabernet sauvignon style for the winery. Extended macerations and gentle handling of the fruit resulted in rich, supple wines that caught the attention of the press and wine-buying public alike. I was appointed Vice-President/Winemaker in 1989.

While at Simi, my interest in new and emerging growing regions, particularly the wine-growing regions of Chile and Argentina, grew. It was while exploring these areas that I met Nicolas Catena. He invited me to return to Mendoza in 1989 to take charge of a new project making Argentina’s first world-class chardonnay. I accepted his offer.

Around the same time I began consulting for several premium California wineries, including Peter Michael, Lewis, Vine Cliff, Fisher and Chalone.

Having put so much energy into helping others improve the quality of their wines, I eventually felt compelled to take on the challenge of making wines under my own label. In addition, learning to understand other great winemaking regions deepened my appreciation for what is unique about California; its temperate, sun-drenched valleys, rolling hills and coastal slopes display seemingly endless winegrowing potential.

When I founded the Paul Hobbs Winery in 1991, I set out to produce small lot, hand-crafted, vineyard designate wines. I began with just three wines—one chardonnay, one pinot noir and one cabernet sauvignon. Working to capture a ‘sense of place’ and terroir encouraged me to develop and refine a personal style rooted in tradition but embracing the ripe, forward expression to which the landscape and culture of California naturally lend themselves. Over the years, the small family of wines has grown to over a dozen, as numerous new and historic vineyards have captured my attention since that first vintage.

Paul Hobbs wines were produced at shared facilities through 1998, when we purchased 19 acres of prized Russian River Valley land. Fourteen acres were planted to pinot noir and became the Lindsay Vineyard, in honor of my father. In 2003, the next part of the dream was realized with the construction of a state-of-the-art gravity flow winery overlooking the vineyard. In the summer of 2006, we will inaugurate a private guest center on the remaining land. In addition we have purchased an orchard on neighboring Vine Hill Road which will be planted in the coming year with chardonnay.

The wines we are currently producing are the result of years of perseverance, patience and experimentation in my continuing adventure with wine. It is my great fortune that the wines I make with my dedicated team have appealed to many people around the globe. And the success of the Paul Hobbs label has only furthered my curiosity and drive to find new and exciting places in the world to make wine. So in addition to making wine in California, and Mendoza with Vina Cobos, I am currently a consultant for wineries in the U.S., Chile and Argentina, and have recently added Hungary to the list as my newest challenge.