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Senior Wine Critic

Esther Mobley

Senior wine critic Esther Mobley joined The Chronicle in 2015 to cover California wine, beer and spirits. Previously she was an assistant editor at Wine Spectator magazine in New York, and has worked harvests at wineries in Napa Valley and Argentina.

Stories By Esther Mobley

Why natural wine people desperately want you to stop saying ‘funky’

‘Funky’ wines are out. ‘F—ed up’ wines are in. Esther Mobley

Bankruptcy, wildfires, $192 million in debt: What happened to Napa’s ‘Falcon Crest’ winery

Spring Mountain Vineyard, best known as the setting of the 1980s soap opera “Falcon Crest,” declared bankruptcy after becoming embroiled in two complicated legal battles. Esther Mobley

These are the 15 most beautiful wineries in Napa and Sonoma

These are the best wineries to visit in Napa, Sonoma and the Bay Area with scenic views and beautiful architecture. Jess Lander, Esther Mobley

100-year-old S.F. corner store restored into ‘high-low’ shop, selling Champagne, $12 wine and Doritos

Instead of happy hour, the shop will have a “cookie hour” for kids from the elementary school across the street. Esther Mobley

This California winemaker went to the Ukrainian-Polish border to feed refugees this summer

Matthew Rorick, the winemaker behind Forlorn Hope and Queen of the Sierra wines, wanted to help Ukraine. So he volunteered on the country's border. Esther Mobley

He hit Bay Area small businesses with disability lawsuits. Video may uncover ‘a monumental fraud’

One side calls the lawsuits “a monumental fraud.” The other side says the new claims constitute a “smear job.” Esther Mobley

This remote California wine region was a ‘holy grail.’ But its future is under siege

Drought, fire, frost and other effects of climate change are making it tougher to be a grape farmer in Mendocino County’s Redwood Valley. Esther Mobley

How to tell if a wine was farmed with Roundup

Deciphering that wine label isn't always easy. Esther Mobley

This climate-friendly farming approach could also make better-tasting wine

Regenerative farming isn’t just good for the planet. It may have financial and quality benefits for California’s grape farmers, too. Esther Mobley

The Bay Area’s newest cocktail trend: stick a popsicle in it

These maximalist libations were made to be photographed. Esther Mobley

How Roundup, the weed killer linked to cancer, became one of California wine’s biggest controversies

One of the most hotly debated issues in California wine these days involves the controversial chemical Roundup. Now, some organic vintners are calling for the wine industry to end its use of Monsanto’s high-profile weed killer, which has been... Esther Mobley

Fred Franzia, creator of Two Buck Chuck wine, dies at 79

Fred Franzia was a champion of inexpensive wine in California, claiming no bottle should cost above $10. He will be remembered for his anti-elitist stance — as well as his legal controversies. Esther Mobley

We tasted the top-rated wines in a hugely popular app. Are they actually any good?

In a Chronicle experiment using the popular app Vivino, crowd-sourced ratings of top wines were surprisingly similar to those written by a professional critic. By Esther Mobley

Winemaking in a California heat wave: ‘It's a roll of the dice’

When sudden weather events like this heat wave happen during the harvest season, winemakers must make a calculated choice: to pick the grapes while underripe, or risk letting them become overripe. Esther Mobley

California heat wave: No rolling blackouts Tuesday night

When will the heat wave be over? Track ongoing impacts of soaring temperatures across California and the S.F. Bay Area. By Jessica Flores, Yuri Avila, Esther Mobley, Kate Galbraith, Aidin Vaziri, Claire Hao, Gerry Díaz

Best 25 Wineries: Where to go wine tasting in Napa and the Bay Area, Fall 2022

These wineries selected by The Chronicle's wine critic represent the best vineyards to visit in Napa, Sonoma and the rest of the Bay Area. Esther Mobley

This Napa vineyard looks totally bizarre. Here's why it could help with climate change

One Napa farmer has planted his vineyard in a very unorthodox way, lining red grapes on top of white grapes, as a way of protecting the fruit from the effects of climate change. By Esther Mobley

Wine tech's big problem: Algorithms may not be the answer

Some wine lovers object to the concept of reducing this complicated beverage to a search algorithm. Esther Mobley

9 Bay Area corn dishes to try once you listen to viral ‘Corn Kid’ TikTok song

Corn Kid was right: In the summer in the Bay Area, every day can be a corntastic day. By Janelle Bitker, Cesar Hernandez, Soleil Ho, Elena Kadvany and Esther Mobley

Chuggable wines are trendy. But these Sonoma winemakers are doing something more interesting

Light, easy-drinking red wines are in vogue. But Sonoma County winemakers Corinne Rich and Katie Rouse are bucking that trend, creating memorable, serious wines under their Birdhorse label. By Esther Mobley