Vina Cobos Cabernet Malbec Volturno 2012 750ml

I love the aromas here with black currant, black truffle, tanned leather and animal on the nose. Complex. Wet vineyard soil. Full-bodied, muscular and intense. It opens so well with air. Plenty of beautiful fruit and balance. Goes on for minutes. Intriguing wine that changes all the time. 97% cabernet sauvignon with a hint of merlot. Better in two or three years but enjoy it now too. (Suckling)

Bright medium ruby. Lovely perfumed lift to the aromas of licorice pastille, violet and crushed stone. Densely packed and fine-grained, with a near-perfect sugar/acid balance giving the wine early sex appeal. But this superconcentrated, extremely primary wine boasts outstanding sweet/savory black fruit and dark chocolate intensity and a powerful spine to support aging. Wonderfully palate-staining on the back end, finishing with sweet, noble tannins. For those who maintain that Cabernet Sauvignon can surpass Malbec in parts of Mendoza, this mineral-driven wine would make a strong argument.

The 2012 Cobos Volturno Marchiori Vineyard is mostly Cabernet with a small amount of Malbec (around 3%) form the Marchiori vineyards in Perdriel. The vines are old, but the Cabernet is around 25 years old compared with the Malbec which is close to 80. The wine fermented in stainless steel and matured in 100% new French oak barrels. Very balsamic and ripe, it mixes notes of blackcurrants and camphor, some aromatic herbs and a touch of smoke and sweet spices. It's heady and it finished a little warm. This is definitively a ripe, big Cabernet-based blend. 4,572 bottles produced.

A plush red, with flavors of raspberry ganache, cigar box and plum tart that are layered with notes of dark chocolate. Pepper and spice on the firmly tannic finish. Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2018. 70 cases imported.