Viña Cobos
Agrelo, Mendoza
Viña Cobos was founded in 1998 in Agrelo, Mendoza, by Paul Hobbs, who is still the winemaker. The name comes from Juan Francisco Cobos, a Spanish horticulturist who was the first foreign citizen to obtain Argentine citizenship. Malbec is the flagship, with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay alongside it.
The winery has three estate vineyards: Chañares, Zingaretti and Hobbs. Hobbs Estate surrounds the winery, and a 5,000,000-litre reservoir feeds drip irrigation across its 13.6 hectares. Chañares, in Los Arboles, Tunuyán, came into the fold in 2013. Pruning is 100% manual, and each year they work with 50 to 55 growers, with all grapes coming from Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco. The 2011 vintage earned 100 points from James Suckling, the first South American wine to do so.
I've reviewed the 2018 Chañares Estate Malbec, which I received as a sample. It spends 18 months in 53% new French oak, and it's a deep, spiced, age-worthy wine with sweet tannins and precise acidity.
The wine I've tasted