Hola! Achaval-Ferrer
July 27, 2007
Hola!
I just received my allocation of
the new Achaval-Ferrer
wines. Without argument, the Achaval-Ferrer vineyard designated
Malbecs represent the highest tier of quality wine produced in
Argentina. Paul Hobb's Vina Cobos project is the only equal,
but his best wine is priced 50% higher. Not only are these scarce
wines a measure of the true potential of serious, low yield Mendoza Malbec,
they consistently compare favorably with the finest wines being produced in
the world today: A classic in the making! A collector's
dream!
No reviews yet, but rest
assured the 2005 vintage is considered excellent. These wines were
resting quietly in the bottle when we visited and barrel tasted the
stunning 2006 vintage with Santiago Achaval last January (see attached
photograph). It was an incredulous two hour learning experience that
made me rethink my approach to barrel tasting and took me outside my comfort
zone. Upon sampling, first I envisioned, and then I became
aware of concentric waves of flavor and intensity emanating
from my mid palate.....relearning to measure by the strength to the
ebb. Kind of a three dimensional "lingering
finish". A true cognitive dissonance wine experience!
Achaval-Ferrer wines are
about defining terroir and showcasing the difference between the expressions of
terroir in high elevated vineyards in Mendoza. By experimentation,
extensive exploration, trial and error, and learning to reduce yields to only 12
hectoliters per hectare (about 3/4 of a ton per acre), the Achaval-Ferrer team has sourced and purchased
vineyards designed to express their personality so strongly that vintage
variation is not a variable: and the resulting wines can be recognized by blind
tasting year after year. If low yields are maintained in all
three vineyards (Altamira, Mirador and Bella
Vista), fruit is harvested at the same
maturity, fermentations are identical, and the same barrels are
utilized barrels....in otherwords, all things equal and controlled;
then any differences between the single-vineyards are absolutely
attributable to terroir.
Here are the available
Achaval-Ferrer wines with a listing
of scores received from the Wine Spectator in previous vintages.
2006 Malbec - Expresses the pure typicity of the varietal
from Mendoza. $23.50 > ORDER NOW AT
$20.95
2005 - 90
2004 -
91
2003 -
90
2005 "Quimera" A quest for the impossible ideal
(wine). - A masterful old vine Bordeaux blend of 37% old vine
Malbec, 28% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, and 10% Cabernet Franc
- $45 > ORDER NOW AT
$41.95
2004 -
93
2003 -
92
2002 -
91
2005 "Altamira" Malbec - 80 year old Malbec planted on its
own root stock at 3,400 feet elevation from the La Consulta region in the
Uco Valley of Mendoza along the south bank of the Tunuyan River; 14
acres of thin sandy top-soil with a sub-layer of round eroded rocks and
some volcanic ash provide excellent drainage, and yield less than one pound of
grapes per vine (1/3 of a bottle of wine), or the equivalent of 0.75 tons per
acre. 15 months in 100% new French oak barrels. Unfined and
unfiltered for the truest expression of the "terroir". 13% Alcohol.
669 cases - Best to drink from 2008 to 2018 and
beyond. $99.95 NET......ORDER NOW AT
$94.95
2004 -
95
2003 -
96
2002 -
94
2005 "Mirador" Malbec - 70 year old Malbec planted on its
own root stock at 2,400 feet elevation from Medrano region of Mendoza
along the west bank of the Tunuyan River; 13 acres of heavier soils with
some clay component provide deep medium drainage, and yield less than a pound of
grapes per vine (again, about 1/3 of a bottle of wine), or the equivalent of
0.90 tons per acre. 14 months in 100% new French oak barrels.
Unfined and unfiltered for the truest expression of the "terroir" (sorry to
sound redundant!). 13% Alcohol. 577 cases - Best to drink from
2008 to 2018 and beyond. $99.95 NET......ORDER
NOW AT $94.95
2004 -
94
2003 -
94
2002 - No
rating
The Achaval-Ferrer Bella Vista Malbec was not produced in 2005
because the vines were damaged severely by hail.
2004 -
95
2003 -
94
2002 -
92
ORDER NOW BY REPLYING DIRECTLY TO THIS
E-MAIL
ALSO!! Every Saturday
afternoon visit the store for a demonstration of the Odyssey-VI by Invictus,
Of course, the Tasting
Bar is OPEN from Noon unti 4 pm
Saturday!
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