Jancis Robinson MW once commented that, in “The Oxford Companion to Wine”, winemaker who had only ever made wine in a single location was almost the exception. Nowadays, more avid winemakers extend their experience and know-how of winemaking beyond their origins, either their self-own or co-operative wineries in different wine producing countries.
What motivates them to start the voyage and explore winemaking in new regions? For some, it’s a vision to be the pioneer crafting world-class wine in regions that no one did, while some aspire to produce wines that their origins unable to.
Many of these explorations cultivate and nourish wines of top-notch quality which worth trying, and we’ve selected 3 of them for you as below. Don’t miss them!
Viña Cobos
Viña Cobos is the vision of Paul Hobbs who took on the challenge of making wine as no one had ever done before in Argentina. Over the past twenty years, Hobbs and his team at Viña Cobos have dedicated themselves to seek out, study, and develop vineyard sites in the two premier growing regions of Mendoza: Luján de Cuyo and Valle de Uco.
The winemaker
Paul Hobbs graduated from the University of Notre Dame in Chemistry in 1975 and earned a master’s degree in viticulture and Oenology from UC Davis. He began his professional career in the Napa Valley, where he helped build the reputation of the area for producing wines of distinction and power. First hired by Robert Mondavi for his expertise in oak aging, he then joined the Opus One team before moving on to Simi Winery.
It was until 1990, he had a vision to craft vineyard designate wines from the most compelling sites in California, and so the Paul Hobbs Winery adventure began with the debuted release in 1991.
As a winemaker, Paul is highly regarded for his pioneering, innovative work in new and historical sites and regions, particularly for his ability to identify and cultivate exceptional vineyards. The Forbes Magazine named him the ‘Steve Jobs of wine” in 2013. In addition to Paul Hobbs Winery, he owns CrossBarn in California, Crocus in France, Yacoubian-Hobbs in Armenia and Viña Cobos in Argentina.
What he has brought
In 1988, Paul Hobbs arrived in Mendoza, where he fell in love with the landscape and the country. Immediately recognizing the possibilities of the Malbec grape for quality wine production in the area, he began his work improving vineyard management practices and promoting minimal intervention in winemaking, as well as exploring authenticity in the unique terroirs of each appellation, vineyard and block.
Sustainable farming methods in the vineyard contribute to consistent yields of healthy fruit. In the winery, careful treatment of the grapes and meticulous winemaking techniques result in complex and elegant wines of subtlety and balance.
As a result, he succeeded in elevating Malbec on the world stage as Argentina’s signature grape variety.
Nicolas-Jay
Nicolas-Jay is the story of a three-decade friendship between famed Burgundian winemaker Jean-Nicolas Meo and visionary music entrepreneur Jay Boberg, and their shared love of Oregon Pinot Noir.
The winemaker
Jean-Nicolas began his career in wine in 1989, when he left Paris and moved to Burgundy to guide his family’s domaine. Jean-Nicolas made the decision to slowly start reclaiming the land for Meo-Camuzet’s own bottlings. This was a bold new direction for a domaine that had long been overseen from Paris. Jean-Nicolas began a period of intense modernization. To facilitate a smoother transition, he was mentored by the great Henri Jayer, who had been making wines from some of Meo-Camuzet’s finest parcels for decades.
From Henri, Jean-Nicolas gained a deep and lasting love of wine, and an appreciation for the more sensual side of Pinot Noir. At the same time, he began defining his own signature style, with an emphasis on depth, refinement and impeccable balance – a style that has catapulted Meo-Camuzet to fame, and earned Jean-Nicolas the respect as one of the finest Pinot Noir winemakers in the world.
What he has brought
In 2013, inspired by a three-decade interest in the quality and potential of Oregon’s Pinot Noirs, Jean-Nicolas partnered with his longtime friend, Jay Boberg, and founded Nicolas-Jay in the Willamette Valley. At Nicolas-Jay, Jean-Nicolas has applied his viticultural experience and insights of making Pinot Noirs in Burgundy to craft exciting and elegant Pinot Noirs that authentically show the terroir of the Willamette Valley.
“We make the kind of wines we love to drink,” says Jay. “Elegant wines, with beautiful, complex aromatics and pure, lovely fruit – wines that evolve in the glass, and in the cellar. To achieve this, we start with the best vineyards, practice respectful farming, and strive to make our wines with sincerity. This means having good intentions as winemakers, and respecting the character of the wine.”
The Islander Estate Vineyards
The Islander Estate Vineyards brings together two vastly different worlds. The heritage and finesse of Bordeaux and Kangaroo Island – one of the newest most remote and untamed wine regions in Australia. These two are blended by Jacques Lurton to create unique, elegant, cool-climate wines.
The winemaker
Jacques Lurton, a fifth generation Lurton family winemaker, has become one of the world’s best-known winemakers. Learning his craft in Bordeaux at this family’s Chateau La Louviere, he branched out on his making of wine throughout the regions of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Moldova, California, Argentina and Chile and of course, his second love beyond France – Australia.
What he has brought
What he has brought
Jacques Lurton visited Kangaroo Island with his wife in 1997, traversing every road of the Island, falling in love with the pristine natural environment, pioneering culture and seeing similarities with regions of Languedoc-Rousillon, Southern France, and recognized the region had enormous untapped viticultural potential.
Yale Norris, the current General Manager of the winery, moved to Kangaroo Island in 2011, he took over general management of the business in 2012 and invested in the business a few years later. After eight vintages, Yale’s ability to quickly gain expertise in almost any area has helped him to gain virtually all he needs to know to cover his multiple roles as General Manager, Vineyard Manager, Viticulturalist, Mechanic, Winemaker and Sales Director.
At the Islander Estate Vineyards, Jacques’ winemaking expertise is expressed in creative ways – unrestricted by Bordeaux’s appellation. He produces cool-climate wines representative of the region’s unique maritime environment.