Vina Cobos Bramare Malbec, Lujan de Cuyo 2022

Paul Hobbs, the owner of Viña Cobos, is a prolific winemaker. In addtion to Argentina he has well regarded wineries in California, France and Armenia. However it was in Mendoza in the late 1980s that he made a real mark. In that time Malbec has become Argentina's signature red wine and the one's made at Viña Cobos are among the best examples to be had. This spends 18 months in a combination of new and used French and American oak barrels before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. The result is a wine with aromas of ripe red and black fruit mixed with spicy notes of vanilla, clove, cinnamon and cigar box. It's complex, long and structured wine with broad, firm tannins and rounds off with a long and satisfying red fruit finish.

A simply succulent wine that would partner similarly succulent meat, something along the lines of a slow roast leg of lamb.

Viña Cobos is the vision of American Paul Hobbs, who arrived in Mendoza in 1988 with a mission to craft world-class wines in Argentina. Located south of Mendoza, Hobbs and his team focus on vineyard sites in Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco. Their meticulous vineyard management and minimal intervention in winemaking allow the wines to express the true essence of their terroir with finesse and complexity. Since their first vintage in 1999, Viña Cobos has set new quality standards for Malbec and Argentine wines, continuously striving for excellence in the region.