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The wines of Viña Cobos are the result of a shared vision inspired by the passion
of American winemaker Paul Hobbs and Argentine winemaking partners Andrea Marchiori
and Luis Barraud to produce expressive, world-class wines with a true sense of place.
Style
From the very beginning we challenged ourselves to produce wines that express the
true identity of each variety and its terroir. In doing so, we seek to obtain intense
and balanced wines resulting from a careful vineyard management with great respect
for the terroir.
History
Paul Hobbs visited Argentina in 1989 and he became immediately interested in both
the terroir and Argentine culture, noticing the unique potential for Malbec and
other varietals in the region. In 1997 Andrea and Luis met Paul in California and
they decided to found Viña Cobos. Since then, Paul and his Argentine partners have
grown their portfolio of ultra-premium wines to include Cobos Nico, Bramare, and
Felino which continue to receive even greater accolades.
Vineyards
We believe in the importance of teamwork and this is reflected in our vineyard management.
Viña Cobos has an extensive team of strategic partners: grape growers located in
different outstanding winemaking regions in Mendoza who work with us playing an
essential role in the achievement of our goals. Each of them is committed to our
quality policy and respect for the terroir, helping us to achieve excellence.
Mendoza Climate, Most of Mendoza is a semi desert with extreme
diurnal temperature fluctuations. In general winters are moderately cold, with sunny
days and lows regularly below freezing temperature, whereas high temperatures in
the summer commonly reach above 100ºF. Annual rainfall varies between 6 to 8 inches,
with rain more frequent during spring and summer, frequently in the form of storms
accompanied by hail.
Irrigation, Rainfall is scarce and not enough to support
vines, but heavy winter snowfall on the Andes mountains provides snowmelt water
for irrigation. Channels (“acequias” in Spanish) conduct water to the estates and
carefully managed furrow systems within the vineyards distribute water to the vine
blocks.
Soil, In general the soils of the different winemaking regions
originated from the erosion and decomposition of the Andean rocks and minerals in
the Quaternary period. Due to the fact that these soils are young and immature,
they do not show differentiated horizons. Significant amounts of pebbles are noticeable
in the piedmont and these diminish as you move away from the mountains. Soil pH
ranges between 7.3 and 8.with calcareous fractions between 2 and 10%. Organic material
is scarce because of the rapid decomposition caused by low rainfall and intensive
agricultural activities. Although soils share similar origins, the texture can vary
over very short distances.
Winemaking
The balance in the vines allows us to concentrate the best characteristics of aroma,
structure and composition of each grape variety. Our winemaking philosophy is to
produce wines with natural practices and assuring that in each step the vines and
wines are treated with utmost care. We encourage and pursue fermentation with indigenous
yeast and prefer to bottle our wines unfiltered and unfined in order to retain their
full body and persistent finish.
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