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Tasting Notes
Full bodied, with slight residual sugar offset by ample, yet fine tannins and acidity, pronounced blackberry flavors along with complex leather and asphalt notes.
Body is the impression of a wines weight, density, or its ‘mouth-feel’. Some wines feel weighty, or full bodied, while others feel light bodied. Wine runs the gamut from light to full, with most falling somewhere in between.
TANNIN
Low
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Tannin can range greatly in wine, but it is necessary to some degree, and a necessary constituent for red wines to age well. In high amounts, it can cause a drying affect, which is sensed mostly on the gums and tongue. Tannin is a natural preservative extracted from grape skins, otherwise known as polyphenols that are micronutrients and antioxidants with potential health benefits.
ACIDITY
Soft
Subtle
Balanced
Pronounced
High
Acidity is a foundational component in wine. In fact, low acidity, or ‘flabby’ wine (as the term suggests) is a negative. You can sense acidity mainly on the sides of your tongue. Acidity generally ranges from balanced to high. Crisp acidity adds freshness, making your mouth water. Acidity is a necessary element and helps to balance other components.
SWEETNESS
Dry
Off Dry
Medium Dry
Medium Sweet
Very Sweet
Most wines are characterized as dry to off-dry, but there are some grape varietals, like Riesling, that run the gamut from dry to sweet. The tip of the tongue mainly detects sweetness, which is why it is often the primary characteristic detected. Sweetness is derived from residual sugar that did not ferment into alcohol.
ALCOHOL
14.5%
Alcohol is the by-product of fermentation. Differing grape varieties have differing potential alcohol levels, but regardless warmer areas result in riper grapes resulting in higher alcohol. Alcohol level is an objective number, but its affect on its palate impression is largely determined with how well integrated and balanced it is with other components.
Powerful & Extracted yet nuanced - uncommon in Malbec country.
GRAPE VARIETAL(S)
Malbec
100%Mal-BECK
Malbec is native to southwest France, and still makes up 70% of Cahors, and makes high quality varietal wines in Argentina. The wines are Powerful & Extracted with intense flavors and aromas with black fruits, earth, mineral, often with notes of violets.
Viña Cobos, one of Argentina’s top wineries, was established by Paul Hobbs in 1999 with the goal of setting a new standard for Argentinian wines, especially Malbec.
The team at Viña Cobos have dedicated themselves to pushing the boundaries of quality while staying true to the terroir of Mendoza’s extremely high-altitude vineyards that elevate past 3,000 feet above sea level.
The results are powerful wines with notable complexity and finesse.
Black Pepper
Asphalt
Leather
