Decanted for 1 1/2 hours (with some sediment) based on some TNs, but probably only needed about 45 minutes to fully open. This wine is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Malbec (from the back label) and presents as dark, full and layered. There were notes of dark berries, chocolate and spice on the nose. The full-bodied palate showed lots of dark fruit (blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry), earth, spice, mocha and a touch of coffee. The acidity was up to the job of balancing all the fruit and there was just a hint of some tannins on the long finish. This wine is in a great place right now and will probably hold for several years.
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glass-staining purple-black, highly viscous, dense and opaque. initially, the bouquet was massively fruity… blackberry and blueberry jam, vanilla. with air, it opens to reveal more savoury notes, leather, earth, spice. palate is soft, round, velvety, luxurious. full-bodied with sweet and savoury flavours, it closes with a lengthy zesty finish. the depth and complexity improved over the 4 hrs this was enjoyed.
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Rich, viscous, creamy and decadent. Dark dark fruit, all blackberry and dark plum. But...Malbec almost overwhelms the cab (and for me, that is not a plus). Cab really struggled to show through. Still, an exceptional wine with many years ahead of it.
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Inky dark. Nose of cedar, black olive and currant. Very forward black fruit, and long dusty chocolate finish. This wine needs BIG glasses and a good 2-3 hours of air even at age 14.
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Ibid my Dec’16 note. Sorry for the lack of originality here but, it almost all rings identically true! The one difference in tonight’s bottle: I did not pick up any of the creaminess of my last bottle. That said? We’re well into tertiary components now. I don’t drink many of these types of styles but, to have something this massive be fully accessible and delicious from the opening cork pop? Special wine and truly something for everyone. Bravo, Pablo!
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Four years later this wine has become softer, silkier and sexy. Amazing blackberry fruit with a backbone of tannins that are seemlessly integrated. So different from the last tasting when the same wine was more muscular and concentrated...very un-Hobbs like!
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Opened up a little hot and out of balance, but was beautifully integrated by hour 2 in a decanter. Big nose of black currant, violet, blueberry, and bell pepper. Highly aromatic and perfumed bouquet. Palate showed its 15.4% abv, but finish was well balanced with softened tannins and enough acid to cut through ribeye. Excellent wine that is showing well after some time to open up.
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Give this 30 min of decanting and you will be rewarded with dark fruits, vanilla, gamey sanguine flavors, and a luscious texture and finish that lasts. Delicious. What a great example of how Cabernet and Malbec can harmonize.
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Deep purple color. Nose showing dark fruits, cedar, earth. Palate of blueberry, bramble/blackberry, underbrush, vanilla, spices and some smoke/charcoal. Smooth palate throughout, soft and elegant perhaps owing to the Malbec content. Nice secondary notes through the mid palate. Tannins resolving but still present. Drinks younger than 11 years, would have guessed 5-7 yrs.
Really nice wine, great to try something so unique and well made (hard to find in the US). Drinking well now but should have another 5 years at this level...hard to know how this will evolve as I have no experience with this blend but seems like it has a good arc and further development ahead. Would be good to check in on it again in a couple years
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With apologies for cribbing my previous note......but it's all still true!
"This was marvelous. Particularly high praise coming from a seeker of Old World subtlety! Nothing Old World about this mostly Cab/Malbec blend, though. Purple in color; the cedar, dark berry nose could throw some folks off a blind trail but, the palate of unctuous, deep blueberry and a pleasant dollop of oak should end the mystery."
This bottle had a bit more creaminess to it than our Jan'16 showing. Really nicely balanced, tannins are present but very soft. Med-plus finish. Nicely made wine, showing beautifully now but surely no rush to pop these. Unclear if it improves with further aging.
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Occasional tasting group (By TBa @ WN Top South America plus some extra's.): Beautiful and very luxurious bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, cedar, smoke, tobacco, vanilla, oak and sweet spice. On the palate ripe black forest fruits, sweet spices like cinnamon and vanilla, beautiful acidity and a pleasant touch of sweetness. Beautifully round tannin with still a soft bite. Beautiful, well balanced and harmonious wine. Best wine so far. 93 - 94
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This was marvelous. Particularly high praise coming from a seeker of Old World subtlety! Nothing Old World about this mostly Cab/Malbec blend, though. Purple in color; the cedar, dark berry nose could throw some folks off a blind trail but, the palate of unctuous, deep blueberry and a pleasant dollop of oak should end the mystery. Really nicely balanced, tannins are present but very soft. Med-plus slightly sweet finish. Softer and even sweeter on Day Two, but never overdone/annoyingly sweet. Nicely made wine, showing beautifully now but surely no rush to pop these. Unclear if it improves with further aging.
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Holy mackerel. This will be in fine fettle for years to come, but why wait? perfectly integrated now. Smooth tannins, but they still have some bite. Graphite and bright blue fruit.
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Very sexy wine with a rich nose of freshly picked berries. Fruit forward, concentrated and plum like fruit, this Cab/Malbec blend finish goes on and on. And while I absolutely love this wine, would give it an even higher rating if it had more structure to provide greater complexity.
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Big, dark juicy fruit with some plum and fig features as well. Tannins were not over the top, might have preferred a little more grip. Still an incredible wine that did not need much of a decant. Plush might be the best word to describe.
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Off the charts. Beautifully integrated Cabernet/Malbec blend with dark berry flavors and velvety smoothness. Hardly any heat and such nuance to the blend, with waves of flavor like ripples across your palate. Just an outstanding bottle of wine.
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Big brooding wine. Decanted for 2 hours. Dark fruits abound with great depth and complexity. Touches of graphite smoke and leather on the finish. A great wine with plenty of life left for cellaring.
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A fantastic bottle, leather, smoke and tobacco on the nose. Big and dark fruits on at first with a long smooth finish. Drank beside a 2009 Darioush, not even close. Decanted for an hour before tasting, the longer it breathed the better it got. Paired with filet oscar, perfect match.
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Paul Hobbs Winemaker's Dinner (Paul Hobbs, Sebastopol, CA): If served blind, I think I would have guessed this the To Kalon, and certainly might have mistaken this for the '01 Napa if not. Concentrated, lush dark berry, cassis, french oak, cedar nose. Expansive palate, not a ton of acidity but not at all flabby. Long finish, this paired well with the beef but even more so with the bone marrow and salsa verde. Perhaps more complex than the To Kalon at this stage, although eons more evolved than that one.
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Had this at tasting in DC. Man, I am not usually a fan of the new world style but this blew me away. Huge, ripe, hedonistic, yet balanced with mild earthiness and solid tannic structure. It had been opened for a couple hours when I tasted it. Incredibly silky mouthfeel and one of the longest, nicest finishes I have ever had. This is a damn fine wine.
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9/16/2023 - VlgJeff Likes this wine: 94 Points
Decanted for 1 1/2 hours (with some sediment) based on some TNs, but probably only needed about 45 minutes to fully open. This wine is a blend of 63% Cabernet Sauvignon and 37% Malbec (from the back label) and presents as dark, full and layered. There were notes of dark berries, chocolate and spice on the nose. The full-bodied palate showed lots of dark fruit (blackberry, blackcurrant, black cherry), earth, spice, mocha and a touch of coffee. The acidity was up to the job of balancing all the fruit and there was just a hint of some tannins on the long finish. This wine is in a great place right now and will probably hold for several years.
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6/12/2022 - #1 or #2? Likes this wine: 94 Points
glass-staining purple-black, highly viscous, dense and opaque. initially, the bouquet was massively fruity… blackberry and blueberry jam, vanilla. with air, it opens to reveal more savoury notes, leather, earth, spice. palate is soft, round, velvety, luxurious. full-bodied with sweet and savoury flavours, it closes with a lengthy zesty finish. the depth and complexity improved over the 4 hrs this was enjoyed.
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5/15/2020 - elevwine Likes this wine: 92 Points
Rich, viscous, creamy and decadent. Dark dark fruit, all blackberry and dark plum. But...Malbec almost overwhelms the cab (and for me, that is not a plus). Cab really struggled to show through. Still, an exceptional wine with many years ahead of it.
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3/1/2020 - Winedad53 wrote: 92 Points
Inky dark. Nose of cedar, black olive and currant. Very forward black fruit, and long dusty chocolate finish. This wine needs BIG glasses and a good 2-3 hours of air even at age 14.
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7/8/2019 - nortonnose wrote: 94 Points
Ibid my Dec’16 note. Sorry for the lack of originality here but, it almost all rings identically true! The one difference in tonight’s bottle: I did not pick up any of the creaminess of my last bottle. That said? We’re well into tertiary components now. I don’t drink many of these types of styles but, to have something this massive be fully accessible and delicious from the opening cork pop? Special wine and truly something for everyone. Bravo, Pablo!
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1/24/2019 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 95 Points
Four years later this wine has become softer, silkier and sexy. Amazing blackberry fruit with a backbone of tannins that are seemlessly integrated. So different from the last tasting when the same wine was more muscular and concentrated...very un-Hobbs like!
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7/23/2018 - Bozekt wrote: 94 Points
Opened up a little hot and out of balance, but was beautifully integrated by hour 2 in a decanter. Big nose of black currant, violet, blueberry, and bell pepper. Highly aromatic and perfumed bouquet. Palate showed its 15.4% abv, but finish was well balanced with softened tannins and enough acid to cut through ribeye. Excellent wine that is showing well after some time to open up.
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4/23/2017 - Thief Likes this wine: 94 Points
Give this 30 min of decanting and you will be rewarded with dark fruits, vanilla, gamey sanguine flavors, and a luscious texture and finish that lasts. Delicious. What a great example of how Cabernet and Malbec can harmonize.
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3/19/2017 - walkerjfw wrote: 93 Points
BYO dinner with Ray/Shaun/CVA/Fabian - Bordeaux and "ABC" Whites... (The Milling Room - NYC): First red of the evening, this one a contribution from Fabian. My first experience with this wine, 63 Cab/17 Malbec. Collaboration with Paul Hobbs in Argentina. Splash decanted, drank most over about 45 minutes.
Deep purple color. Nose showing dark fruits, cedar, earth. Palate of blueberry, bramble/blackberry, underbrush, vanilla, spices and some smoke/charcoal. Smooth palate throughout, soft and elegant perhaps owing to the Malbec content. Nice secondary notes through the mid palate. Tannins resolving but still present. Drinks younger than 11 years, would have guessed 5-7 yrs.
Really nice wine, great to try something so unique and well made (hard to find in the US). Drinking well now but should have another 5 years at this level...hard to know how this will evolve as I have no experience with this blend but seems like it has a good arc and further development ahead. Would be good to check in on it again in a couple years
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12/27/2016 - nortonnose wrote: 94 Points
With apologies for cribbing my previous note......but it's all still true!
"This was marvelous. Particularly high praise coming from a seeker of Old World subtlety! Nothing Old World about this mostly Cab/Malbec blend, though. Purple in color; the cedar, dark berry nose could throw some folks off a blind trail but, the palate of unctuous, deep blueberry and a pleasant dollop of oak should end the mystery."
This bottle had a bit more creaminess to it than our Jan'16 showing. Really nicely balanced, tannins are present but very soft. Med-plus finish. Nicely made wine, showing beautifully now but surely no rush to pop these. Unclear if it improves with further aging.
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4/15/2016 - Zweder wrote: 94 Points
Occasional tasting group (By TBa @ WN Top South America plus some extra's.): Beautiful and very luxurious bouquet with ripe dark forest fruits, cedar, smoke, tobacco, vanilla, oak and sweet spice. On the palate ripe black forest fruits, sweet spices like cinnamon and vanilla, beautiful acidity and a pleasant touch of sweetness. Beautifully round tannin with still a soft bite. Beautiful, well balanced and harmonious wine. Best wine so far. 93 - 94
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2/8/2016 - Hazevedo Likes this wine: 92 Points
Need to decanter and wait to drink
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1/23/2016 - nortonnose wrote: 94 Points
This was marvelous. Particularly high praise coming from a seeker of Old World subtlety! Nothing Old World about this mostly Cab/Malbec blend, though. Purple in color; the cedar, dark berry nose could throw some folks off a blind trail but, the palate of unctuous, deep blueberry and a pleasant dollop of oak should end the mystery. Really nicely balanced, tannins are present but very soft. Med-plus slightly sweet finish. Softer and even sweeter on Day Two, but never overdone/annoyingly sweet. Nicely made wine, showing beautifully now but surely no rush to pop these. Unclear if it improves with further aging.
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7/5/2015 - pols Likes this wine: 93 Points
Holy mackerel. This will be in fine fettle for years to come, but why wait? perfectly integrated now. Smooth tannins, but they still have some bite. Graphite and bright blue fruit.
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4/12/2015 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 94 Points
Very sexy wine with a rich nose of freshly picked berries. Fruit forward, concentrated and plum like fruit, this Cab/Malbec blend finish goes on and on. And while I absolutely love this wine, would give it an even higher rating if it had more structure to provide greater complexity.
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2/20/2015 - diane.forgy@dianeforgy.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
Big, dark juicy fruit with some plum and fig features as well. Tannins were not over the top, might have preferred a little more grip. Still an incredible wine that did not need much of a decant. Plush might be the best word to describe.
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5/27/2014 - wino121 wrote: 92 Points
A very expressive wine, almost too much fruit for my palate, ripe and flush in style, but a fine effort nonetheless.
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1/5/2014 - Ed Veritas Likes this wine: 96 Points
Absolutely fantastic
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6/23/2013 - IGN WINESNOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Popped and V'd. Followup to first bottle. No decant and just as spectacular.
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6/23/2013 - IGN WINESNOB Likes this wine: 93 Points
Decanted 2 hours. Outstanding Cabernet/Malbec blend with dark berry flavors and perfectly smooth. An outstanding bottle of wine.
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4/27/2013 - AlanC wrote: 95 Points
Off the charts. Beautifully integrated Cabernet/Malbec blend with dark berry flavors and velvety smoothness. Hardly any heat and such nuance to the blend, with waves of flavor like ripples across your palate. Just an outstanding bottle of wine.
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3/30/2013 - Bill Johnson Likes this wine: 95 Points
Big brooding wine. Decanted for 2 hours. Dark fruits abound with great depth and complexity. Touches of graphite smoke and leather on the finish. A great wine with plenty of life left for cellaring.
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3/21/2013 - Cacooke96 Likes this wine: 94 Points
A fantastic bottle, leather, smoke and tobacco on the nose. Big and dark fruits on at first with a long smooth finish. Drank beside a 2009 Darioush, not even close. Decanted for an hour before tasting, the longer it breathed the better it got. Paired with filet oscar, perfect match.
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1/27/2013 - pols wrote:
not as good the previous bottle , the tannins would not quiet down
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8/11/2012 - vinotintoiowa wrote: 93 Points
The real deal. Excellent wine. Great blend of Cab/Malbec. Dark purple, wonderful nose and smooth in the mid-palate.
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6/10/2012 - IGN WINESNOB wrote: 92 Points
Smoooth! Nice nose, very pleasant finish. Real nice, soild wine.
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5/28/2012 - KeithSurg wrote: 94 Points
Mostly cabernet, but the typical big, extracted style of the Cobos malbec dominates. Very nice.
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4/8/2012 - pols wrote: 94 Points
great color & texture
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3/7/2012 - paulrossi99 wrote:
Fantastic well made nothing to complain about big nice fruit tannins long lasting in the moouth
Will be better as aged
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12/14/2011 - paulrossi99 wrote: 94 Points
Fantastic. Full body total start, middle and end. Great fruit w/ good tannin. Will drink for 6-8 years (Decanted one hr.)
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8/5/2011 - alr6767 wrote:
Paul Hobbs Winemaker's Dinner (Paul Hobbs, Sebastopol, CA): If served blind, I think I would have guessed this the To Kalon, and certainly might have mistaken this for the '01 Napa if not. Concentrated, lush dark berry, cassis, french oak, cedar nose. Expansive palate, not a ton of acidity but not at all flabby. Long finish, this paired well with the beef but even more so with the bone marrow and salsa verde. Perhaps more complex than the To Kalon at this stage, although eons more evolved than that one.
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7/15/2011 - ericindc Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had this at tasting in DC. Man, I am not usually a fan of the new world style but this blew me away. Huge, ripe, hedonistic, yet balanced with mild earthiness and solid tannic structure. It had been opened for a couple hours when I tasted it. Incredibly silky mouthfeel and one of the longest, nicest finishes I have ever had. This is a damn fine wine.
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8/14/2010 - psmith wrote:
Flashy, nondescript fruits and vanilla oak. Big wine. Fine tannins. High quality, but nothing distinctive here.
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6/16/2010 - rstark wrote: 89 Points
Wine Tasting Cage - Masseto Gets Smacked Down by a bunch of Cali Cabs! (Pamplemousse Grille, Del Mar, CA): Dark deep color. Raisiny nose with an alcohol top layer. Decent fruit, but mouth-biting tannins with a hot finish. My #8, the group’s #7. ‘(out of nine)
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