Achaval Ferrer has unveiled its Finca 2018 vintage malbecs in what has been described as a year that produced excellent wines in Mendoza. The Tenute del Mondo-owned brand launched three wines: Achaval Ferrer Finca Bella Vista 2018, planted in 1910; Achaval Ferrer Finca Mirador 2018, planted in 1921; and Achaval Ferrer Finca Altamira 2018, planted in 1950.
“2018 was a great vintage, a year that produced excellent wines in Mendoza,” said Achaval Ferrer head winemaker Gustavo Rearte. “After four challenging harvests, particularly 2017, conditions went back to historical parameters and it could be described as a textbook harvest for Mendoza: dry, cool climate and radiant sunshine in all seasons.”
The summer of 2018 featured higher than usual humidity accompanied by high temperatures, providing complexity and intensity to the wines. The extended ripening period brought an added depth to the terroir profiles, as well as silky tannins. Plus, the combination of medium to low humidity and a constant temperature in the final period of ripening led to greater complexity in the mid-palate and enormous aging potential.
“The weather was excellent, we returned to a textbook harvest, those days when maturity develops perfectly due to good weather even before the harvest,” explained Rearte. “As a result, 2018 will be an excellent year for Achaval Ferrer wines. Harmony, elegance and complexity at its finest.”
Finca Bella Vista 2018 presents a floral character, typical of a cool, sunny year, combined with red fruits and spices. On the palate it has especially silky tannins, thanks to the clay-loam soils of Finca Bella Vista.
Finca Mirador 2018 has spicy notes and a fruity character thanks to flavors of blueberries and figs. Such descriptors, typical of sunny and cool years, combine with a touch of graphite for depth and complexity on the nose. Rounding out the wine’s profile is a great tannic structure from the natural acidity of this vineyard.
Finca Altamira 2018 strikes a perfect balance between ripe fruit and natural acidity. Citric notes, such as orange peel, combine with red fruit aromas, typical of sunny and cool years, and with mineral notes lent by the unique soil profile in this vineyard. In the mouth, it expresses both softness and tension, with a long and balanced finish.
8,400 bottles of Finca Bella Vista 2018; 4,370 bottles of Finca Mirador 2018; and 8,620 bottles of Finca Altamira 2018 will be released.
For more information, head over to Achaval Ferrer’s official website.
