2020 Vina Cobos Malbec

Concentrated, inky, liqourice, cola, sweet blackberry and cassis fruits, cocoa dust, set against crushed rocks and slate, concentrated and expressive with deftly nuanced tannic grip. You are in safe hands with owner Paul Hobbs and winemaker Andres Vignon (now Diana Fornasero as 2022), and this exceptional wine delivers again in 2020. 11ha of vines from 75% Chañares Estate (Los Arboles, Tunuyan, Valle de Uco) and 25% Hobbs Estate (Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo), on granite and limestone soils, with no till farming, and whole cluster winemaking. Second year on the Place.

A hot and dry vintage where all of the fruit came in mid March from both sites. Things kick of with a whoosh of spice followed by fresh juice that hits from the mid palate. The focus remains on fruit from beginning to end, majoring on damsons and red cherries, intense with firm tannins that need time to open up. It's impressive how sculpted this feels, more emphasis on red fruits than the 2019 vintage - something they often find in early harvest, where the grape skins show a little less colour than in the cooler years that have longer hang time. Luscious. Winemaker Paul Hobbs. Fermented with small amounts of stem inclusion and whole bunch fermentation. 45% new oak. Now renamed as Hobbs Estate to mark 25 years.