Argentina 2010 - Vina Cobos Harvest Report

Vina Cobos 2010 Harvest report--Lujan de Cuyo and Valle de Uco districts only

filed by Andrea Marchiori, Luis Barraud and Paul Hobbs

Winter:  Early winter (late May to mid-June) started with unseasonably mild temperatures.   The first winter frosts did not arrive until late June delaying the onset of pruning.   A final snow storm hit September 27.

Spring:  Our regions experienced frosts through the first week of November.    During flowering many of our vineyards were exposed to very cold, extremely dry and windy (including Zonda winds) weather conditions which affected 'set' particularly in red varieties, especially Malbec.  Millerandage and 'shot' berries were prevalent in both Malbec and Cabernet and set was most uneven in Cabernet.   The impact varied greatly from vineyard to vineyard with some being perfectly normal while others nearby took it hard.

Summer:  Higher than average daytime temperatures prevailed.   Daily temperatures frequently broke 35 C and were accompanied by extremely dry (low humidity) and windy conditions.  At late veraison extensive thinning was required to drop uneven clusters from vineyards impacted by erratic spring flowering.  By mid to late February temperatures cooled and light cloud cover appeared.  Mild conditions continued through mid-March.

Fall:   On March 19 many vineyards in our region received record rainfall for a single day.  Again as is common here, the amounts varied wildly from vineyard to vineyard and from place to place with as little as trace amounts to as much as 125 mm falling.   This was a short duration storm followed by a cold air mass driven by high winds.  Canopies dried quickly and all vineyards remained sanitary.   Areas receiving more than 50 mm of rain saw delayed ripening.  On average harvest was delayed by 10 - 14 days.   Hail storms were not a relevant in our regions this year.   On April 14 and 15 light frost was reported but no serious damage occurred.  Average yields across most varieties was lower than average (10 - 35% depending on the vineyard). The weather conditions for the weeks following the March rain were outstanding for Malbec and Cabernet ripening.  This year is notable for high phenolic maturity and low sugar (Brix). 

Other:  Vina Cobos started harvest March 9 with night picked Chard and finished May 7 with Cobos Malbec--nearly 2 months later--both picks from the Marchiori vineyard

By variety: Chardonnay- shows intense aromas with lots of flower and citrus fruit, in many ways very similar to '09 vintage.  Red varieties exceptional pigmentation, intensely fragrant aromas, concentrated, well structured, beautifully balanced and great depth of mouth. 

Summary:   Our early projection quality rating: top 3 of the past 10 years.