2008 Paul Hobbs Winery El Felino Malbec Mendoza
Best known for his namesake wines from California, Paul Hobbs started his professional career at Mondavi as head Enologist of the Opus One team in 1981. He later moved to Simi and during that time he also became interested in Chile and Argentina. He got involved with Nicolas Catena and was eventually invited to lead Catena’s attempt to create a great Argentine Chardonnay.
He is now becoming one of the world’s reknowned flying winemakers — working as a consultant in Chile, Hungary and Argentina — in addition to making wines in Northern California and at Vina Cobos in Argentina.
His Vina Cobos wines have been getting more attention with each release — and looks like he has really produced some great wines in 2006 — if press and my first bottle of 06 Feline are any indication…this Malbec is pretty opulent, lush and velvety — and weighs in at 14.7% alcohol, but it isn’t overwhelming. It might walk up to the line of New World, but never totally crosses it — all pieces work quite well together, fruit, tannings, structure, oak all very nicely integrated. Nice structure with beautiful fruit — loads of cherry with raspberry, a little rhubarb, notes of charcoal — soft tannins with a lingering finish.
88 points Wine Spectator: "Solid, with medium-weight black licorice, crushed plum and spice notes that stay nicely focused on the finish.
"91% Malbec, 6% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Syrah. This powerful, firmly structured malbec is black/fuchsia in color and perfumed with wild raspberry and bittersweet cocoa. The palate unfolds in velvety layers of plum, currant .
Felino Malbec can be purshast at Mercy for $14 a glass or $40 by the bottle
Vincent Havard
General Manager and Operating Partner
