Hillick & Hobbs Estate

About Hillick & Hobbs Estate

The pursuit to craft world-class Riesling brought internationally acclaimed winemaker Paul Hobbs back to his family roots in Upstate New York to create site-specific estate wines from the emerging Finger Lakes region. Founded in 2013, Hillick & Hobbs is named in honor of his parents, Joan Hillick and Edward Hobbs, who met at nearby Cornell University in Ithaca, New York.

After solidifying an international winemaking career, Paul recognized that the Finger Lakes had all the desirable attributes—climate, slate soils, and slopes—of the world's greatest Riesling-producing regions. Along with his younger brother David Hobbs, he combed the area for years before discovering a property south of Hector Falls with notable similarities to the Mosel. It took nearly a decade from the property's purchase in 2013 to the inaugural vintage release, establishing a 78-acre estate with roughly 25 acres planted.

Dedicated entirely to Riesling, the vines are planted at high density on steep slopes in predominantly hard slate soils, making machine work nearly impossible. At the tasting room on the east side of Seneca Lake, visitors are welcomed year-round to explore limited-production dry Rieslings surrounded by panoramic views of the lake and vineyard.