Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026.
Aperitif to be served at 7:30pm and we will sit for the tasting at 8pm.
*If you are a non-member and would like to join, we'd love to have you. Please be sure to select the non-member ticket from the dropdown menu. If this is your first time at Essex County Wine Society, please select the first-time non-member ticket.
Wines of Paul Hobbs: the Steve Jobs of Wine, balancing Terroir & Intensity
Paul Hobbs is a legend in the wine industry, celebrated for his precision, boundary-pushing innovation, and ability to craft exceptional wines globally. He started as a enologist for Mondavi, was in inaugural winemaking team of Opus One, and went on to consult worldwide, and currently has ownership stakes in 7 wineries in 4 continents. Robert Parker named him twice “Wine Personality of the Year”, and his bottles consistently rack up perfect 100-point scores..
Hobbs is famous for bringing depth, structure, and elegance to the glass. In California, he was a pioneer in favoring balance and site-specificity over sheer ripeness and power. This tasting explores his core philosophy:
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Terroir Focus: Matching specific grape varieties to unique soils.
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Minimal Intervention: Using meticulous viticulture and simple cellar techniques to let natural fruit flavors shine.
What makes a "Paul Hobbs Wine"? Together, we will find out:
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Taste his rare red from Armenia, the ancient birthplace of wine.
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Compare a Hobbs Pinot Noir blindly against another outstanding producer from the exact same year and region.
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Discover why he is called the “Malbec Maestro” by tasting Argentine Malbec and its French counterpart
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Evaluate a legendary Hobbs Stagecoach Cabernet—famed for its "seamless blend of mountain power and incredible refinement"—against a non-Hobbs Stagecoach bottling.
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Explore other exciting Cabernets, including a special bottle representing the next generation of the Hobbs family legacy.
This blind tasting will challenge you to viscerally experience the Hobbs style and form your own opinion on his global legacy.
This event has been in development for over two years. After tasting more than 40 candidate bottles and gathering expert input, I have selected the most intriguing 11 wines + 2 aperitifs. Thanks to meticulous bargain-hunting and personal sourcing, we’ve managed to keep the entry price for this premium lineup exceptionally reasonable.
Event Details
• Date: Thursday, November 5, 2026
• Must be 21 years old to enter.
• Limited Seating due to limited supply.
• Please drink responsibly.
Tickets
- $109 for Members
- $129 for Non-Members
- $99 for First-Time Non-Members
Location: 82 Union Street, Montclair, NJ 07042. Please be sure to secure a ticket before the day of the event as we cannot accept walk-in attendees. Ample parking in the rear of the building.
