Hobbs unveils Cahors Malbec venture

Wine consultant and Argentine Malbec pioneer Paul Hobbs has launched the result of a new project with this variety in its native Cahors.

Crocus Malbec de Cahors is a partnership with Bertrand Vigouroux, who has worked with Hobbs since the 2009 vintage on the winemaking at his family estate in Cahors, Château de Mercuès.

Taking its name from a flower that grows widely around the Cahors region, this latest project claims to “bring New World innovation and Old World tradition together in redefining Malbec de Cahors.”

This involves the blending of wines from a single Malbec clone that is planted across three Vigoroux family estates along the valley of the River Lot: Haute-Serre, Leret-Monpezat and Mercués.

Commenting on the project, Hobbs said: “Having spent 25 years evolving Malbec winegrowing and winemaking in Argentina, it is a thrill to be working in the homeland of Malbec with Bertrand Vigouroux, whose family has deep roots in the region.”

In addition to consulting on the venture, Hobbs is also the wine’s exclusive US importer through his business Paul Hobbs Imports, which specialises in shipping Argentine Malbec to the US. The first vintage, 2011 Crocus Malbec de Cahors, saw 1,250 cases produced with an RRP of $45 (£27).

Alongside his ongoing consultancy work in Argentina and his own estate in Sonoma, Hobbs has a number of other winemaking projects around the world, including Armenia, New York State, Ontario and Chile.