Hobel Wines was born from a simple pact between friends: if Cameron Hobel ever launched a label, Thomas Rivers Brown would make the wines—a promise realized with the 2009 debut. “The Cut” returns for its second release with the 2022 vintage, sourced from Block 5 of Winfield Vineyard, a 12-acre site in Calistoga at the base of Mount St. Helena. The vineyard’s rocky volcanic soils, ideal sun exposure, and cooling mountain breezes yield low-cropping, powerfully structured Cabernet with remarkable purity and depth. This is the most muscular wine in the Hobel lineup, offering deep concentration and dark berry fruit layered with spice, sandalwood, and licorice, finishing broad and textured with chocolate, salt, and fine dusty tannins. Only 139 cases were produced.