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2014 Hobel Cabernet Sauvignon The Figure

The Wine

Figure: The distinctive pattern that frequently results from various grain orientation; the pattern produced in a wood surface by annual growth rings, rays, knots or deviations from natural grain. 

The Figure, our premiere release from the R.M. Kennedy Vineyard (now the Pozzan Vineyard), is a voluptuous wine. Dark purple in color, it has a spicy layered nose of vanilla extract, plums, cherries, oak, rose petals and turned earth. The wine is juicy, rich and silky and has loads of glycerin. While it is easy to drink now, the depth of the materials promises great evolution. This is an exciting first release for us from the R.M. Kennedy Vineyard and we are thrilled to be working with this beautiful fruit.


The Vintage

2014 was the third year in a row of the drought cycle, which signaled an early harvest to most wine grape growers. Much to everyone's pleasure, we had a very wet Spring with above average temperatures kicking off the growing cycle about two weeks ahead of schedule and giving the soils a much needed replenishment after the abnormally dry Winter of 2013/2014. The early start transitioned all the way through the growing season and picks were called a couple weeks in advance of normal.  


The R.M. Kennedy vineyard was a welcome addition to our Hobel lineup in 2014. Just down the road from the Engelhard Vineyard, this hillside parcel planted in 2010 possesses all the right components to make exceptional wines. The combination of gravelly Aiken loam soils, good exposure and strong attention to detail in farming practices sets this site apart from most others.  Planted 100% to Cabernet Sauvignon, this site will only improve as it matures and we have time to further dial in the farming. Although the yields were low, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon The Figure is a strong first wine for us from the R.M. Kennedy Vineyard, and is already showing great depth, color and character.


The Notes (From Winemaker Thomas Rivers Brown)

2014s showed much more transparency than the 2013s. Vintage character dominated the 2013s, whereas varietal and site expression mark the 2014s which, for me as a winemaker, is a much more enjoyable experience. Wines took a little longer in tank to color up and concentrate so time on skins went from an average of 14-16 days to 18-19 days. The wines continued to concentrate in barrel, improving every time we sampled them.

  • Neck
    Teak
  • Blend
    100% Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Vineyard
    R.M. Kennedy Vineyard
  • Appellation
    Napa Valley
  • Production
    10 cases
2014 Hobel Cabernet Sauvignon The Figure - Hobel Wines


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