Achaval Ferrer launches fourth wine in its iconic Finca range

Argentine winery Achaval Ferrer has launched a fourth Malbec expression to its iconic single vineyard Finca range, which comes from a 100 year old vineyard that it acquired six years ago. 

The newly released Finca Nazarenas comes from a vineyard in Agrelo in Luján de Cuyo, which was planted in 1923, but only acquired by Achaval Ferrer from  Melipal Winery in 2019. The plot lies on an alluvial cone, with clay soils that are more than 1.5 meters deep, giving the 102-year old vines a unique character. Speaking to the drinks business in September 2023, winemaker Gustavo Rearte said he was grateful that in Mendoza, "you can find these [vineyard] jewels" that allowed the company to produce "a different approach on the soil profile". "We are looking every year to find them,” he told db at the time. “Each vineyard holds its own DNA,  which if we can learn to listen, reveals their most intimate secrets. That’s why it is important to walk among the rows, feel the fruit, interpret the signs of the land, and appreciate each grain that these centennial plants give us as a gift. Above all, it is essential to continue learning from the terroir.”

Extreme temperatures

According to Rearte, the 2021 vintage was remarkable for its favourable climate, seeing a mild spring and summers with moderate precipitation, typical of Mendoza and consequent cool nights. "This dynamic helped achieve perfect ripeness of the grapes, allowing for the harvest to take place under optimal conditions," the company said. The result is four top quality single vineyard Malbecs "that highlight their origin with distinctive characteristics and well-defined personalities," he said. The growing season for the Nazarenas 2021 was typified by cool nights, which resulted in significant temperature extremes that provided the vines with an adequate rest period overnight to allow for a powerful fruit expression that juxtaposes "ripeness and natural freshness", the company said. "The 2021 presents a complex and appealing nose, with intense notes of ripe blackberries and spice. On the palate, the wine has a silky and voluptuous texture, where firm and fresh tannins integrate perfectly, providing a harmonious structure that lingers on the palate, leaving a sensation of elegance and balance," it said.

Terroir-focus

The new single vineyard expression will sit alongside the existing trio, Finca Bella Vista, Finca Mirador and Finca Altamira, but only a small quantities of each wine have been produced. Around 5,370 bottles of the Achaval Ferrer Finca Nazarenas 2021 are available, less than half that for the Achaval Ferrer Finca Bella Vista (12,582 bottles), Achaval Ferrer Finca Mirador (10,861 bottles) and Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira (10,033 bottles). Although all four wines in the series are created and vinified in exactly the same way, the different soils, sites and altitudes of their individual vineyards reflect different aspects of Malbec. For example, the oldest vines of Finca Bella Vista, aged 115-years, are planted at 900m asl on a former river bed on the south side of the Mendoza river at Perdriel in Lujan de Cujo, which gives it a floral, soft and silky character on the middle palate. Meanwhile Finca Mirador, from 104 year old vines grown on the free-draining soils on the warm east side of Mendoza, at 700m above sea level expresses a spicier, dark fruit Malbec with graphite aromas. Although the vines for Finca Altamira are the youngest, at 75-years old, they come from the highest plots at 1,100m asl and are subject to an extreme climate. Here the unique mixture of soil, clay, sand, minerals, stones, and volcanic ash found on the east side of the Tunuyán River add to the wine's complexity. Achaval Ferrer is part of the Tenute del Mondo wine group, which also includes Arínzano in northern Spain and stakes in Tenute di Toscana. It was launched in 1998 to demonstrate the ability of Malbec to express the terroir, "an Old World approach from a New World wine that was perhaps unusual in the late 1990s" according to Rearte. Achaval Ferrer will be available in limited allocation in 50 countries, available in the UK from Jeroboams Trade and Jeroboams Shops.