Paul earned his BS in Chemistry from the University of Notre Dame in 1975, and MS in Viticulture & Enology from the University of California, Davis in 1978. Shortly thereafter, he became a member of the enology team at Robert Mondavi Winery, and one year later, at the behest of Mr. Mondavi, Paul was invited to be a member of the inaugural team of Opus One.

A first trip to Argentina in March 1988 marked the beginning of a South American winemaking career that carries on today with Viña Cobos in Argentina, and his status as the pioneer who played an instrumental role in launching malbec’s rise to fame.Today Paul is owner/winemaker for Sebastopol, California based wineries, Paul Hobbs Winery and Crossbarn Winery, as well as his international partnerships, Viña Cobos, Mendoza (1999); Crocus, Cahors (2011); and Yacoubian-Hobbs, Armenia (2014). His two latest ventures are Alvaredos-Hobbs, Galicia (2018) and Hillick & Hobbs, Finger Lakes (2019).

Regarded as an international visionary for his accomplishments in the vineyard and winery, Paul Hobbs combines his childhood roots on the family farm in Upstate New York with an innovative scientific approach to refine the art of winemaking. He is recognized across the globe for breaking with tradition and forging new paths in the pursuit of excellence; both in the stewardship of the land, and the crafting of wines that represent the purist concept of place – leading the way in the early 90’s as a pioneer of site-specific, vineyard designate wines. His passion for viticulture, winemaking, and innovation has been widely recognized by the wine media, as well as by the consumer.