Paul Hobbs Vina Cobos Bramare Ultra Argentina Tasting

Wine is constant proof that God loves us and loves to see us happy.
Benjamin Franklin

And we want to see our “Wine Drinking People” happy that’s why we have so many unique wine tasting events!  This weeks focus is Oregon Pinot Noir and next week we hit the subject of Argentina and Chile starting with Paul Hobbs Vina Cobos wines for an exclusive tasting of the top wines from Paul’s property in Mendoza. 

I remember the first time that I heard about Paul Hobbs.  I was working at Cafe Maxx and Jim Turner called me on the phone and said- "Andrew get some information on this guy Paul Hobbs, his wines are getting big press and we should have them on the wine list at Cafe Maxx."  So I called up Healdsburg information and asked for the number for Paul Hobbs, dialed it up and low and behold guess who answered the phone- Paul Hobbs himself! 

Well, this was just when he was starting out and Paul did not even have a distributor for his wines at this point.  I quickly ordered everything that Paul had to sell and we were off and running with Paul Hobbs wines, Café Maxx was the first restaurant in the state of Florida to carry Paul's wines.  After a few years of bootlegging these wines into the state, I thought it was time that we starting doing things a bit more legal and I recommended that we clear the wines through Augustan Wine Imports and the rest is history!

Today Paul is one of California’s most renowned international wine consultants.  He consults with over a dozen bodegas in Argentina, a few wineries in Chile and has done work in several other countries like Hungary and Armenia.  Some of Paul's clients over the years:  Peter Michael Winery, Vine Cliff Winery, Lewis Cellars, Merus, Stewart Cellars, Clos Pegase and Constant to name a few.

Paul went to Argentina for the first time to visit with Nicolas Catena’s winery in 1989, fell in love with the vineyards there and decided to set up shop with his own winery in 1998 as well as consulting for several of the top names.

Tonight, we will focus on the best wines that Paul’s Argentina winery Vina Cobos has to offer.  These are some of the most sought-after wines from Argentina and some of the most expensive with the biggest allocation in the world going to the state of Florida we are lucky to be able to sell these wines by the case to our collectors here. 

Paul will not be here for this tasting but we have his right hand man Harley Aveiro here to conduct this event.  We only have 12 seats for this tasting and the $95 fee includes dinner!  To reserve a space for this event call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Paul Hobbs Vina Cobos Bramare Ultra Argentina Wine Tasting at WWWB with Special Guest Harley Aveiro
Thursday August 18th
7:30pm

2016 Bramare Chardonnay Marchiori Vineyard
Price: $48.00    Sale $42.24

Intense yellow in color. The nose is floral, fruity, and very elegant, expressing green and tropical fruits such as pear and pineapple. Bright acidity, with a rich, creamy texture on the palate, accented with flavors of vanilla and cocoa. It is a round, complex wine with good structure and remarkable persistence.

2013 Bramare Cabernet Sauvignon Marchiori Vineyard
Price: $94.50   Sale $83.16

(93 Points) A plush red, with an underlying sense of power to the concentrated and richly spiced flavors of dark plum, boysenberry and dried ginger. Notes of dried meat and soy emerge on the elegant finish. Drink now through 2024. Wine Spectator

2014 Bramare Malbec Rebon Mendoza
Price: $94.50   Sale $83.16

(94 Points) Exuberant and well-sculpted flavors of raspberry, red plum and currant are supported by suave tannins. Offers hints of white pepper on the richly spiced finish, with luscious dark chocolate accents. Drink now through 2023. Wine Spectator

2014 Vina Cobos Bramare Touza Vineyard Malbec Las Compuertas  Mendoza 
Price: $94.50   Sale $83.16

(96 Points) Aromas of blackberry, blueberry, violet and walnut shell. Full body, velvety tannins that are polished and tight. Very polished. Persistent finish. Needs another year or two to get it all together. (Suckling) James Suckling

2014 Vina Cobos Bramare Malbec Zingaretti Mendoza
Price: $94.50   Sale $83.16

The Zingaretti Vineyard, 3772 feet above sea level, is a traditional vineyard, cane pruned, with high density plantation and furrow irrigation. This wine comes from vines of more than 80 years.

Fermented with selected and native yeasts in 8 ton closed-top stainless steel tanks. 4 days cold soak; 25 days total maceration. Native malolactic fermentation in barrel; 3 months to completion. 17 months, 58% new French oak barrels and 6% new American oak barrels, 36% second use. Bottled in November 2014, unfined and unfiltered.

2013 Vina Cobos Malbec Marchiori Vineyard Mendoza          
Price: $223.50    Your Price: $196.68

From a single vineyard block c2 pedrial lujan de cuyo, this wine has a big bouquet blackberry fruit black cherry blueberry fruit a whopping 15.3% alcohol with a host of dark spices bitter chocolate smoked meats with lots of everything violets very rich but also balanced with a long layered finish, sweet balsamic notes and smoky meaty notes a bouquet of flowers and dark spices earth graphite, with more and more coming out as the wine opened. Finish 50+. Killer black licorice a very plush velvety texture KILLER

2013 Vina Cobos Volturno Marchiori Vineyard Mendoza
 Price: $245.00    Sale $215.60

Cabernet sauvignon is the main component of this exquisite blend, offering a predominance of fruit and noticeable minerality. It shows an intense ruby red color and aromas offered fruits, licorice, lead, gunpowder, pepper and chocolate; a subtle hint of spearmint complements the profile with freshness and elegance. In the mouth we find red fruits, licorice and marmalade; an intense, broad wine with a particular mineral texture, its long finish invites us to keep discovering it.   A Blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec.

Menu
Selection of charcuterie
Jumbo Sea Scallop with Citrus Chardonnay Beurre Blanc and Epoisses mashed Turnips
Peppers with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Quail Egg
Sliced Bife de Chorizo with Papas Fritas

There are only 12 spaces available for this event and the fee for this tasting and dinner is $95 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com

A bit about Vina Cobos:
Paul started this project in Argentina with the Marchiori Family with the 1999 vintage and the wines keep getting better and better. Here is a brief account of the 2011 growing season: Although there were some snowfalls during winter, they were poor, with the consequence of less water available for irrigation during the growing season. When spring began, there were some isolated hail storms in Valle de Uco and Perdriel, with no significant damages. On November 9th, there was a severe frost which affected several vineyards from Perdriel, Las Compuertas, Altamira, and La Consulta in their flowering period. Some lots were more affected than others, depending on location, wine variety and soil humidity. There was a warm summer, where low humidity and light rainfall prevailed. There was only one hail storm in the northeastern part of Perdriel, but no significant damages were reported. In Valle de Uco –warmer and dryer as compared with historical records– grape production showed great quality and concentration, with very good fruit health conditions. Fall was a very dry season, with occasional rains and partial frosts. There was an excellent temperature range, and ideal conditions to reach fruit ripening. Only one frost on May 2nd reached –3.5C in some regions of Perdriel. Fortunately, production had already been harvested in its majority. Yield was comparatively similar to previous harvests. Our harvest time began on March 2nd with the night harvest of Chardonnay grapes, and ended on May 4th with the harvest of Malbec grapes at Marchiori Vineyard. All grape varieties show great balance in wines, high intensity, elegance, purity, and brightness in fruits, highly mature tannins, with great depth.

We just had Paul in town and here is the interview on Wine Watch TV

This interview below is not the text from the one where we just hosted here at Wine Watch but it does tell his story better than any that I have read so I included it here along with an offering on everything that is available from Paul Hobbs Winery.

Here is what Paul can tell you in his own words about his venture into the wine business:

"I was told, a long time ago, that the key to good winemaking is paying attention.

I started paying attention at an early age. Specifically, the day my dad brought home a bottle of 1962 Château d’Yquem and poured it into little paper cups around the family dinner table. The bouquet, the flavor, and the experience made an impression on me. I became passionate about wine and the vineyards that produce the wine. In 1969, I convinced my father to uproot a section of our apple orchard and replant it with wine grapes, and my father put me in charge of the endeavor.

My botany professor at the university of Notre Dame, a former winemaker at Christian Brothers Winery in California, encouraged me to attend his weekly wine-tasting seminars. I had enrolled at Notre Dame with the intention of becoming a doctor. These seminars shifted that focus, igniting what has become a lifelong career in winemaking.

I enrolled in the Master of Food Science program in the Department of Enology at the University of California at Davis. My thesis on oak extraction led to a job at Robert Mondavi Winery as a research technician. Valuable hands-on production experience resulted in a promotion to Enologist. Among other responsibilities I was assigned to the Opus One team, and in 1981 was appointed Head Enologist.

After several vintages with Opus One, I moved on to join Simi Winery in February 1985 as Assistant Winemaker. One of my first tasks was to author a new cabernet sauvignon style for the winery. Extended macerations and gentle handling of the fruit resulted in rich, supple wines that caught the attention of the press and wine-buying public alike. I was appointed Vice-President/Winemaker in 1989.

While at Simi, my interest in new and emerging growing regions, particularly the wine-growing regions of Chile and Argentina, intensified. It was while exploring these areas that I met Nicolas Catena. He invited me to return to Mendoza in 1989 to take charge of a new project making Argentina’s first world-class chardonnay. I accepted his offer.

At about the same time I began consulting for several premium California wineries, including Peter Michael, Lewis, Vine Cliff, Fisher and Chalone.

Having put so much energy into helping others improve the quality of their wines, I eventually felt compelled to take on the challenge of making wines under my own label. In addition, learning to understand other great winemaking regions deepened my appreciation for what is unique about California; its temperate, sun-drenched valleys, rolling hills and coastal slopes display seemingly endless winegrowing potential.

When I founded the Paul Hobbs Winery in 1991, I set out to produce small lot, hand-crafted, vineyard designate wines. I began with just three wines-one chardonnay, one pinot noir and one cabernet sauvignon. Working to capture a "sense of place" and terroir encouraged me to develop and refine a personal style rooted in tradition but embracing the ripe, forward expression to which the landscape and culture of California naturally lend themselves. Over the years, the small family of wines has grown to over a dozen as numerous new and historic vineyards have captured my attention since that first vintage.

Paul Hobbs wines were produced at shared facilities through 1998, when we purchased 19 acres of land in the Russian River Valley. Fourteen acres were planted to five clones of pinot noir and became the Lindsay Vineyard, named in honor of my great grandmother. In 2003, we completed construction of a state-of-the-art gravity flow winery overlooking the vineyard. In the summer of 2006, we inaugurated a private guest venue, Lindsay House, on the remaining land. In addition we have planted chardonnay at two neighboring properties, Edward James and El Molino vineyards

The wines we are currently producing are the result of years of perseverance, patience and experimentation in my continuing adventure with wine. It is my great fortune that the wines I make with my dedicated team have appealed to many people around the globe. The success of the Paul Hobbs label has only furthered my curiosity and drive to find new and exciting places in the world to make wine. So, in addition to making wine in California and in Mendoza with Vina Cobos, I am currently a consultant for wineries in the U.S., Chile and Argentina. I have recently added Hungary to the list as my newest challenge and look forward to many more."