Tobias

We just got in three types from Tobias Vineyards of Ukiah, California, at least that is where their winery is located.  Principle owners Tobias and Dawn Pauli Forman own forty-three acres near the top of Howell Mountain which could rightfully be called their family estate.  

Both Tobias and Dawn come from wine royalty.  Tobias is the son of Ric Forman, legendary winemaker for Sterling and Newton Vineyards.  Dawn comes from five generations of grape growers in Mendocino.  She is part owner in her Pauli family business which has vineyard holdings in Napa and Sonoma in addition to Mendocino.   Her father is the former CEO of Souverain Vineyards and a past president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.  Both were raised in the family business and are hands-on in every aspect of their enterprise today.

The three types we brought in are the Lexi's Estate Sauvignon Blanc, the Blue Oaks Vineyard Chardonnay and the 2017 Tobias Howell Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon.  We chose not to carry the Tobias Formations Cabernet Sauvignon, thinking it paled beside the Howell estate wine.  Both the Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are sourced from Pauli Mendocino vineyards and show their breeding.  The Sauvignon Blanc features complex, well-structured and balanced fruit with minerality.  The Chardonnay is floral and almondy and balanced with noticeable oak.  They are both centerpiece wines.

In 2014 the Formans purchased what was then called Vogt Vineyards near the top of Howell Mountain.  That vineyard was originally planted in 1997.  Since renamed Pauli Vineyard, it is now planted entirely in Cabernet Sauvignon, using five different clones for enhanced complexity.  If high-end Napa Cab is your thing, you should try this one!