Our last winery visit was a bit anti climatic as we had to rejoin the mass tours and tastings. Probably fitting to end it this way but we did do it with a twist. We tasted in Spanish and toured in English. Not sure which part was better.
For starters, Achaval-Ferrer was very generous in their pours. We tasted wines from all three lines plus a sticky. For those of you who often venture into wine country, you can probably attest to the pleasure of tasting the best wines that wineries produce versus just being relegated to the 'boxed' wine. I firmly believe that this should be the standard. Some wineries do this without fanfare (kudos to the likes of Heitz and Chapoutier).
Also, the winery was bustling. One really cool thing was to see them add foils and labels (including importer and country specific notations) by hand.
The story we were told about Achaval-Ferrer starts with the passion of four friends and colleagues to buy a piece of land to make wine and vacation. As the wine got better, they decided to jump into the business and hired Italian winemaker, Roberto Cipresso (from Montalcino). The partners are all involved in various aspects of the business.
Achaval-Ferrer produces three lines under the same label: Mendoza (varietal), Quimera (blend), and Finca (vineyard designates). Only 25% of the production makes it to the US.
The Mendoza line is focused on producing a cuvee using grapes from the various properties which they own. Quimera is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Merlot. And the Finca line produces three vineyard designates: Altamira, Bella Vista, and Mirador (all Malbec). All three are unique. Quimera seems to be the most popular followed by the Finca Altamira.
For our tasting we tasted two Mendoza wines (Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon), Quimera, and Finca Bella Vista. They also poured their Dolce which screams Italy to me. In particular, Passito from the island of Elba.
Malbec not pictured - High tannins which makes sense given the altitude of the vineyards. Good structure but young.
Cabernet Sauvignon - This was actually pretty interesting. They poured to help us understand the expression and depth that it provides as part of the Quimera blend. I found it to be very tight and with a fair amount of tannins. Certainly, a good representation of the varietal from this region.
Blend - Another young gun. Malbec more pronounced than the other two varietals.
Finca Bella Vista - Vineyard sits at about 1000 meters. Still too young for my taste. Did not walk away impressed by it nor was I rolling my eyes at the price tag. I would like to see this from an earlier vintage.
Sticky - Yummy. Very rich. As noted, like a Passito. To make this you harvest and then lay the grapes down to shrivel and concentrate. Then you press. Makes good juice. Nice to see a sticky made from Malbec.
Recap:
Winery
Achaval-Ferrer, Small production, Old World technique, Should Visit (try for a private tour)
Wines
2007 Mendoza Cabernet Sauvignon, QPR Mid, USD15, Only sold at the winery
2007 Mendoza Malbec, QPR Mid-High, USD15
2007 Quimera, QPR Mid-High, USD30
2007 Finca Bella Vista, QPR Mid, USD80
2008 Dolce, No QPR since USD Unknown, Only sold at the winery
Wines we bought
None (we left the next day so no time to drink up)
Contact
www.achaval-ferrer.com
