2021 Hobo Wine Co. 'Edith and Ida' Chardonnay, Redwood Valley, Mendocino, California (750ml)
About the Icons
Hobo Wine Company's Edith & Ida Chardonnay comes from Lolonis Vineyard in the Redwood Valley of Mendocino. Planted in 1944, Lolonis has one of the oldest Chardonnay vineyards in the state, and they are members of the Historic Vineyard Society. Lolonis has been certfied organic for many years - since well before it become a more wide-spread practice in the wine industry. Even today there are many growers and producers who are practicing organic, but reluctant to deal with the certification gauntlet. Barrel-fermented with whole clusters, native yeast and minimal SO2. Yellow apple, slightly hazy and a bit of "natural wine" funk.
About Hobo, in their own words ~ "18 years come with some perspective, right or wrong, good or bad. This thing started with two barrels of Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel, no business plan, no real idea how the wine world works, and kind of just a reckless abandon because consequences weren’t something we were aware of. Fast forward to now and we have 1000 barrels or more, no business plan, only a vague idea how the wine world works, and enough responsibility to provide many a sleepless night. We hope we have learned a few things though.
1. We are fortunate. I drink whenever I want, day or night, under the guise of “work” and it is actually a legit claim.
2. We are fortunate. We love wine, vineyards, community, and the way they all interconnect and we have gotten to spend our lives exploring the connection between the three.
3. We are fortunate. Customers who share our values, sensibility and taste have supported us, what we do, and who we are. This is more than fortunate, this is a blessing.
After nearly two decades, this thing, from an aerial view is actually two things: Winemaking, a craft, maybe an art, definitely an expression, an egocentric place to have an opinion and: wine business, a sometimes shrewd, a sometimes cynical, a sometimes amazing, an always reality check. The two are co-dependent, but not inseparable. Sometimes, we make winemaking decisions and sometimes with responsibility and pseudo-maturity weighing on us inevitably, we make business decisions. We are happy when the two align and the decisions are easy and we are torn, struggling, stressed, and uncertain when they don’t. So, why? Simply, we don’t know how to do anything else and we don’t want to learn. We have spend our adult lives pursuing one pursuit, one dream, one way of being. Anything else, anything less would be a sacrifice, the worst kind of compromise, and personal failure. The 21st century has given us the luxury to believe that we are entitled, that we deserve to love what we do. We bought into this kind of individual worth, self fulfilling prophecy sort of thinking so full-heartedly that there is absolutely no turning back. The wine world is stuck with Hobo and so are you."