2014 Yacoubian-Hobbs - Areni (89 pts) @yhwines

2014 Yacoubian-Hobbs - Areni (89 pts) @yhwines @paulhobbswines · 🙋‍♂️ What was the last time you had a 'first time experience' with a wine producing country or region❓· ℹ️ Paul Hobbs and the Yacoubian brothers formed a partnership in 2008 to work together to produce wine in Armenia. The goal is to honor the heritage, but also to elevate the region. The wine is 💯 Areni (aka Areni Noir). The grape is named for a nearby town. It is a thick skinned, late ripening, red grape that has heavily adapted over time to grow and thrive at high elevations. The region of Vayots Dzor has a rich volcanic and limestone soils. The region has some of the highest elevation vineyards in the Northern Hemisphere. These vines planted at over 1300 m elevation. The wine is fermented and aged in stainless steel· 👁 Medium ruby color· 👃 Medium- intensity on the nose. Aromas of blueberry, black currant, black cherry, black pepper, violets, and some dried herbs· 👄 The wine is dry, medium acidity, medium+ dusty tannins, medium alcohol, and medium body. Good weight to the wine and the texture reminds me the skin of a plum. The wine is more expressive on the palate. Barely ripe black and blue fruits. Black pepper, thyme, and violets are more highlighted on the medium length finish· 🔔 I respect the effort to highlight and market indigenous grapes of a country like Armenia with a deep history of wine making 👊. This is very well made. I believe this is probably the younger vines. If I had to make a comparison it would be a mythical cross of Gamay and Primitovo (using this to reflect style).