'08 "Felino" wines from Argentina

My grandma (who is 84 and going strong) and I recently had a chance to taste three different wines from winemaker Paul Hobbs's venture in Argentina. The wine goes under the name "Felino" and is a subsidiarity of Vina Cobos.

We both found the Chardonnay to be outstanding. It had a toasty character which reminded me of a marshmallow roasted over a campfire. Lots of oak and toast, but the grape and floral aromas were present as well--I wouldn't say it was over-oaked.

The Malbec was good, but I found it a little less-dry than the Cab. Our verdict was out on both of these, perhaps because we'd given so much attention to the Chardonnay. After admitting to one another that we prefer reds and were most skeptical of the Chardonnay, this was quite a surprise. Malbec isn't my favorite to begin with, and this wasn't one that bowled me over. Certainly it was good, but not remarkable. I would recommend each of these wines, but rank them 1) Chardonnay 2) Cab and 3) Malbec.

You can learn more about Paul Hobbs and the wines he makes here: http://www.paulhobbs.com/

-Erik