The story of Hobel Wines began in 1998, when Cameron first met friend and winemaker Thomas Brown in Napa. Cameron was working as the Director of Business Development at Winebid.com and Thomas was working as Assistant Winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars. Their mutual love of great wine led to many shared dinners and glasses of wine, where they discussed the prospect of finding a project that would allow them to work together in producing a world-class wine. The opportunity finally arose eleven years later, with the 2009 Hobel Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon.

Hobel, our family name, is also a traditional woodworking plane that has been used for centuries by skilled craftsmen to smooth, balance and finish wood surfaces. The "hobel" depicted on our label is a modern twist on this classic woodworking tool and each vintage of Hobel has a different species of custom-crafted wood that is hand applied to the neck of each bottle.

In addition to being the proprietors of Hobel Wines, Cameron and Bahaneh are veterans of the wine industry. Cameron, a specialist in fine and rare wines, began his career working at a winery in Northern California and then at Christie’s Auction House, quickly becoming the youngest person in the history of the company to be named Wine Department Head. Cameron eventually moved to Napa to join Winebid.com, where he held two top positions, and then launched his own wine importation and wholesale company which he still runs today. Bahaneh is a Partner at the Napa law firm of Dickenson Peatman & Fogarty where, as head of the Alcohol Beverage and Wine Law groups, her practice focuses exclusively on all aspects of alcohol beverage law and regulation. Bahaneh and Cameron welcomed their first daughter, Coco, in 2012, and their son, Indigo, in 2017.

We are fortunate to have as our winemaker not only someone that is one of the most interesting young winemakers in the business today, but also a good friend. Originally from Sumter, South Carolina, Thomas first developed his interest in wine while studying at the University of Virginia. Following graduation, Thomas moved to Napa and eventually began working as assistant winemaker at Turley Wine Cellars in the late 1990s. Thomas’s talent grew with his experience and his minimalist approach to winemaking has won him and the wines that he has crafted many accolades. In addition to his own Pinot Noir project, Rivers-Marie, today Thomas serves as winemaker for several other exceptional wine brands including Outpost, Maybach and Schrader. We are thrilled to be working with Thomas and so fortunate to be able to work with someone who shares our love of great wine.