Jason discovered Kobler Family Vineyard in 2018 through a bottle of Donelan Syrah—a big, gorgeous wine. Absolutely smitten, he started down the road of tracking down some Kobler Vineyard fruit for Hibou. He knew Donelan winemaker David Milner, so he reached out to voice his interest, and David got back in touch with us to say we were in luck—a block of Kobler was becoming available!
Mike Kobler is a quiet, observant grower who’s keenly invested in how his fruit performs, studying the biochemistry in depth with each vintage. Mike and his wife live in an idyllic farmhouse on the vineyard he and his brother, Otto, planted. This is one of the things we love about Sonoma: harvesting fruit in the farmer’s backyard.
The vineyard sits on a gentle hillside off of Gravenstein Highway, on the east side of Green Valley, a subzone of the Russian River Valley, where the coastal influence is strong. Jason took our kids with him when he went to sample the fruit for the first time. There’s a giant tire swing hanging from an old oak tree right in the middle of the vineyard, so there the kids were, kids swinging and laughing, as Michael and Jason tasted this brilliant Syrah. It’s a moment we’ll always hold onto.
Appellation
Green Valley, Russian River Valley, Sonoma
Varieties
Syrah
Soil Type
Goldridge