Viña Cobos, "Bramare" Malbec, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza 2022

This is a Malbec that makes the case for Iconic Argentinean wine, at a (sort of) terrestrial price point. This is seriously good, by any measure of quality, and is intense, powerful and lush. A bit of a treat? You bet. Worth it? Absolutely.

Deep, dark red in colour with a superb, ripe and intense nose showing pepper, cloves, cinnamon and kitchen spices with black berries, bramble fruits and roses. A wonderfully complex wine that is long and structured on the really dazzling palate, which is broad with juicy firm tannins and a long, long finish.

This is a wine made because of the curiosity of winemaker Paul Hobbs. A Napa Valley superstar, he first went to Mendoza in 1989. Driving over the Andes from Chile, he fell in love with the place and the people, but also, less-sentimentally, he believed in its potential to make great wines.

a decade after his first visit he established the Viña Cobos winery in Mendoza: his first experiments were with wild fermented Chardonnay before he turned, inevitably, to Malbec. His first 10-barrel vintage of Malbec persuaded the American press of the potential of this grape - it sold out in days. He continues to make wines that are authentic expressions of their terroir. This exploration of the different terroirs across Mendoza has taken him to the distinguished regions of Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco to produce really profound and unique wines. The Cobos winery’s elegant and balanced wines are a result of meticulous vineyard farming and utmost respect for terroir.

This subzone is Luján de Cuyo and is known historically as the ‘prime zone’ for wine-growing in Mendoza, situated at a high altitude of 3,250 to 3,470 feet (990 to 1,060 meters) and in a semi-desert climate, the low-nutrient gravelly soils provide ideal conditions for producing high quality grapes

The grapes are hand-harvested and are fermented separately in batches before being blended and aged for 18 months in French oak barrels. He treats it as as though he's making Classed Growth Bordeaux...