Esther Mobley is the San Francisco Chronicle's senior wine critic. She reports on the business of California's dynamic wine industry, reviews Bay Area bars, writes about the effects of climate change on vineyards, publishes the Chronicle's popular Top Wineries lists, and sends a weekly email newsletter, Drinking with Esther. Since joining the paper in 2015, she has reported from wildfire evacuation zones, from behind the gates of a doomsday cult, and from the homes of undocumented vineyard workers. Esther was the 2019 Feature Writer of the Year in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writers' Awards, and her work has been recognized by organizations including the California News Publishers Association, the Society for Features Journalism and the Association of Food Journalists.
Esther is the moderator for The Pinnacle of Pinot Noir: Explore the Grand Cru Vineyards of the West Coast seminar on Friday, February 28, from 9:30 am - 11:30 am.