Achaval-Ferrer Finca Altamira 2015
(Wine Advocate Score 95) The nose of the 2015 Malbec Finca Altamira is full of aromas of blood orange and bittersweet cherries, and the palate reveals dusty, slightly grainy tannins and a very pleasant mouthfeel, with balanced acidity. It has some rusticity I had not seen in previous years. There is power and freshness. 12,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2016.
Altamira is a mountain with extreme weather. Quiet and calm are mixed into the intensity of the peaks of Tunuyan. It is the most symmetrical of the vineyards: it possesses a ray of aromas ranging from black and red fruits to passing flowers to spices and minerals. It is rich, fresh and opulent, complex and fascinating. Altamira always has a new story to share.
Aerated pump-overs with soft sprinkling of the cap, followed by pressing at the end of and up to 4 days after fermentation as determined by daily tasting results. No ltering. Cold soaks, acid correction, bleed-offs and addition of enzymes were not used during vinification.
Fermented in cement tanks at a maximum temperature up to 93-95oF with extensive pumping over for better extraction. 15 months in new (100%) French Oak Barrels.
| Winery | Achaval-Ferrer |
|---|---|
| Country | Argentina |
| Region | Mendoza |
| Wine Type | Red Wine |
| Grape variety | Malbec |
| Bottle Size | Bottle |
| Vintage | 2015 |
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Achaval-Ferrer is among the best in Argentina focusing on Malbec, releasing a range of outstanding single vineyard Malbec. Achaval-Ferrer is prestiged to have some of the oldest Malbec vines in Argentina of over 100 years old. These extremely old vines produce wines with deeper colours, more flavour intensity, higher acidity and great ageing potential. To respect and preserve the terroir, there is minimal intervention in winemaking to allow maximum expression of terroir.
Achaval-Ferrer had originally been founded by a group of Argentinian and Italian friends from various walks of life, businessmen who loved wine, inspired by their friend the celebrated Italian oenologist Roberto Cipresso. Immediately enthralled by the potential here, in high altitude Mendoza, Roberto’s enthusiasm was infectious and his colleagues became similarly captivated. Their ambition was simple yet monumentally audacious, namely, to make a world-class wine in Argentina. Against all odds, these very obvious pioneers and innovators put the wines of Achaval-Ferrer on the map.
From the outset the wines received many plaudits, ultimately capturing the interest of external investors. A deal was struck and now, with the security of extra funding, Achaval-Ferrer enjoys the luxury of a state of the art winery manned by a new young team which is just as passionate about the Achaval wines as the founders. The original protagonists gradually scaled down their time with the company as they moved on to new, personal projects, ensuring a watertight handover before their departure.
It is wonderful to be working with people so steeped in the world of wine with a sense of place. The winemaker, Gustavo Rearte, has been at AchavalFerrer since 2013 so he had the good fortune to have both Roberto Cipresso and Santiago Achaval to guide him. In addition, he has had previous international experience in New Zealand and California.
In overall charge we have Portuguese-born oenologist Manuel Louzada. He lives and operates a sister winery in Spain but spends a great deal of time in Argentina, particularly over the harvest period. He lived and worked in Argentina for ten years, as winemaker, running Chandon sparkling wine and Cheval des Andes, so knows the territory well. Independently, he was a private customer of the wines of Achaval-Ferrer from the very beginning. He has always used Finaca Altamira as a benchmark with which to judge other wines. The new sales director Julio Lasmartes is also from a winemaking family.
The changes to Achaval-Ferrer of old may well be profound but the fundamental principles of the company are as important as before – stronger perhaps – reinforced by renewed confidence.
The wines will continue to come from the same lowyielding, ancient, un-grafted vines - high altitude sites - overseen by viticulturalist Leopoldo Gomez, alongside Manuel Louzada. Goals are absolute quality, a very pure expression of Malbec, and vibrancy and freshness across all of the wines.
