2016 Paul Hobbs Cabernet Franc Nathan Coombs Estate
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
This is very fine-grained and polished with beautiful dark-fruit and currant character and a mouthfeel that is caressing and beautiful. This is very agile and potent. Drink in 2022, but already a beauty.
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
The 2016 Cabernet Franc Nathan Coombs Estate has come along beautifully since I last tasted it. The fruit has started to flesh out, making the tannins feel a bit less imposing than they once did. Today, the Franc is deep, fleshy and seductive in every way. Dark cherry, plum and lavender are some of the many notes that emerge to grace this exquisite wine. Paul Hobbs comments that few barrels were culled out of the unbottled blend he showed me earlier this year. That extra commitment to quality paid off big time.
The 2016 Cabernet Franc Nathan Coombs Estate is deep garnet-purple colored and a little youthfully mute, opening out to reveal redcurrant jelly, kirsch and blackberry preserves plus hints of pencil shavings, cigar box and dried Provence herbs. Medium to full-bodied, it has a rich, solid frame of grainy tannins and plenty of freshness lifting the red and black fruit to a long savory finish. 243 cases produced.
The 2016 Cabernet Franc Nathan Coombs Estate is a powerful wine. Stylistically, is is quite a bit darker and more tightly wound than the 2015 tasted alongside it. Savory and structured to the core, the 2016 won't be ready to drink for a number of years, but its promise is evident, even today.
About the producer
Paul Hobbs is one of California wine’s biggest names. Twice named Wine Personality of the Year by Robert Parker, he joined Robert Mondavi in 1977, worked at Opus One and Simi before setting up his eponymous winery in 1991.