(PressDemocrat) - A winemaker of uncommon renown, who has made coveted wines from Napa and Sonoma under his own name since 1991, Paul Hobbs isn't the likeliest of producers to have launched a second brand geared to a younger generation of wine drinkers.

A one-time pre-med student at Notre Dame, Hobbs fell in love with wine and in time switched his focus, attending UC Davis and then learning the ropes of winemaking at Robert Mondavi Winery, Opus One and Simi before becoming one of the most sought-after wine consultants in California and around the world.

In 2000, he launched CrossBarn, a separate winery based in a former apple-packing warehouse in Sebastopol, with its own vineyard sources and the intent to make approachably delicious wines at lower prices than the vineyard-designated Paul Hobbs Winery cabernet sauvignons, pinot noirs and chardonnays.