Lobo Wines makes some howling good reds

There are a lot of California producers out there, and things can be daunting if you want to find high-quality wineries in which to invest your time and money.

I’ve been pleased over the past three or four years to have learned more about Lobo Wines from Napa, and I think they’re certainly a producer with checking out. In the glass these wines were always striking, certainly in the aromatics department, but also with a real sense of depth and age-worthiness on the palate. Packed with verve, nuance, and they are like new riffs on classic bass line sort of wines. And the consistency is so evident. The labels and brand aesthetic (let’s face it – that really matters) – I find excellent and attractive.

Once I established that the wines were of serious intrigue, there’s a cool story behind it as well. The winery is the project of Randy and Krys Wulff. Randy, who grew up together in the Central Valley. More than 20 years ago, they moved to Napa and planted some Oak Knoll Chardonnay to get things started. Today, Lobo produces wine from Oak Knoll and their Atlas Peak estate (Villa Lobo), and they make Chard, Pinot, Syrah, Merlot, and some Cabs.

In wondering how these reds show so much finesse, it makes a lot of sense when you look at the winemaker’s resume. The Chardonnay is produced by Randy Lewis and Victoria Coleman makes the reds. She has worked at Stag’s Leap and even interned Mouton-Rothschild, and has made Lobo wines for 16 years. She was also the first black woman to graduate from the UC Davis viticulture and enology program.

I’ve enjoyed these red wines a few times over the year, and the consistency of high quality is an obvious trend. They clearly have some great fruit to work with in Oak Knoll and Atlas Peak, and they offer a way to explore the different Napa subregions within the context of the same artist.

They have a nice range of wines, and I was happy to taste through two of their 2020 offerings, an Atlas Peak Cabernet and an Oak Knoll Syrah-Cabernet blend.

The wines are available on Lobo Wine’s site. And they're open for scheduled visits and tastings. Take a look at a virtual tour of their cave (it looks great!) and worth a visit the next time I'm in Napa.

These were received as samples and tasted sighted.

2020 Lobo Wines Cabernet Sauvignon Wulff Vineyards - USA, California, Napa Valley, Atlas Peak
SRP: $105
Deep purple color. The nose exudes this mix of tangy, roasted fig paste, with black currants, laced with smoky earth, roasted red pepper, spicy tobacco, sage, mint. It’s deep and dark but expressive and herbal.  The palate sports vibrant acidity that gives this Cab a refreshing appeal, but the tannins provide this grippy structure, with a host of dark plum, red and black currants, black cherry jam. Lovely balance, and the nuances abound: stony, mineral vibes, savory and peppery spice, gravelly-loam, with some nuances of cedar, graphite, and dark chocolate shavings. This needs air and time to come into its own, but a beautiful and complex Cab. (94 points)

2020 Lobo Wines Howl Wulff Vineyards - USA, California, Napa Valley
SRP: $70
Saucy purple color. A tangy, dark blend of black currants, black cherries, wild blueberries, with a saucy blend of anise, beef jerky, black pepper, violets, clove, some barbecue sauce and dark chocolate – just a delight to sniff and worthy of a good decant to get it going. Bright acidity frames the wine well, and the tannins have nice grip with a pleasantly chewy feel. Black cherries, blueberries, black currant jam, delightful fruit, and it rounds out with complex elements of anise, cocoa, black pepper, sauteed mushrooms, black tea. There’s a ton going on here in the non-fruit complexities. Ripe and juicy but structured for the cellar, too. A rocking blend of Syrah with 29% Cabernet Sauvignon. (93 points)