2014 Vina Cobos Bramare Malbec Valle de Uco Argentina 750 ml

Exceeding Expectations of What Malbec Can Be

One of the parts of my job that I love most is the chance to bring Wine Access clients “into the loop” by introducing extraordinary new wines — or in the case of the 94-point 2014 Viña Cobos Malbec Valle de Uco, to a grape variety that many of you know well — but made in a refreshingly new style. I tasted this delicious wine on a springtime trip to Argentina, where I was absolutely blown away by the terroir in the Valle de Uco, and by Paul Hobbs’s modern and Napa-esque Viña Cobos winery. This is where Hobbs, the 100-point winemaker who has twice been named “Wine Personality of the Year” by Robert Parker, crafts opulent and elegant Malbec more in the style of Napa Cabernet than the “cheap and cheerful” supermarket wines that have come to represent Malbec to the American market. Heading down to South America to taste with one of the planet’s most sought-after winemakers, the expectations were high — and they were exceeded. Paul Hobbs has brought his New World winemaking tools to Argentina, and I couldn’t return without securing an allocation of this exhilarating wine for our clients. Just $34.99 per bottle — a fraction of what you would pay for one of his Napa wines.

Serious collectors in Napa and beyond know the name Paul Hobbs. Long before he scored a 100-point wine with his own line of Napa wines, he was hired by Robert Mondavi and had a hand in creating Opus One, before spending years at Simi Winery in Alexander Valley. Then he departed for Argentina, where he helped transform Catena Alta — along with the country’s entire wine industry. Hobbs told Decanter about his arrival in 1988 after hearing the UC Davis crowd deride Argentina as too hot for fine wine production: “It was a shock. The vineyards were so beautiful and the fruit tasted so good.” When I saw the snow-capped Andes on my visit in the spring, I understood how Hobbs must have felt 30 years ago, seeing that gorgeous landscape for the first time.

Hobbs has married the first-class fruit of the Valle de Uco with the savoir faire that has not only scored him a perfect wine according to Robert Parker, but has also made him one of the most in-demand consulting winemakers on the planet. The Viña Cobos Malbec is a big, ripe, and heady wine, with freshness and elegance and a firm backbone. The great textural breadth is due to 17 months maturation in French and American oak barrels. James Suckling gave this wine an impressive 94 points, and I see it as a fresh introduction to Argentinian Malbec, elevated by a master.

Sincerely,
Vanessa Conlin
Master of Wine Candidate