2005 Bramare Malbec Marchiori Vineyard

The Bramare “Marchiori Vineyard” wines are from 100% estate grown fruit located in Lujan de Cuyo. The 2005 Bramare Malbec “Marchiori Vineyard” received essentially the same oak treatment as the Cabernet. Nearly black in color, it coasts the glass with glycerin. Its super aromas of violets, spice box, cedar, tobacco, espresso, black cherry, and black raspberry leap from the glass. The wine is full-bodied, concentrated, and possesses layers of complex flavors. This hedonistic effort will benefit from at least 4-6 years of cellaring and should drink well through 2025. The Bramare series is sourced from Lujan de Cuyo, a prime zone in Mendoza. Some of the fruit is from Cobos’s estate vineyard, the balance from contracted fruit. The wines at this level receive more oak, longer macerations, and wild fermentations. Vina Cobos is the Argentina winery of the renowned Paul Hobbs, best known for his namesake wines from California’s North Coast. Hobbs began consulting in South America in 1988 and, early on, became involved with Nicholas Catena in the startup of that winery’s Chardonnay program. In 1998 he temporarily left his consulting projects to start Vina Cobos with the first vintage coming in 1999. In 2005 Vina Cobos constructed its own winery. Paul Hobbs is high on the 2005 and 2006 vintages. At first he felt that 2005 was the finest year (along with 1996) since he started working in Argentina, that is until the 2006 vintage rolled around. It was, he says, “a mild, moderate year with no problems.” The Cobos wines have several tiers. The entry level is the Nativo Collection. The wines are mostly varietal with a small amount of blending. The grapes come primarily from the estate’s own vineyards, but there is sourcing from 5-6 other properties. They all receive oak aging, but the focus at this level is on fruit. Importer: Paul Hobbs Imports; info@paulhobbs.com