Producer Spotlight: Achaval-Ferrer

Planted in 1910, Finca Bella Vista is one of Achaval-Ferrer’s vineyards in Perdriel, Mendoza. It is around 950 meters above sea level.

It’s almost hard to believe that Achaval-Ferrer was only founded in 1998 as it already boasts a reputation as one of Argentina’s finest producers. It’s mostly thanks to three small, exceptional parcels of densely planted malbec in Mendoza: Finca Altamira, Finca Mirador and Finca Bella Vista. All the sites under Achaval-Ferrer are found along the Andes at daunting elevations, maintaining the grapes freshness while assuring proper ripeness. The wines are handmade with no filtration or fining undertaken during the process. Although all of the top wines are bottled as single-vineyards in very small quantities, even the readily available entry-level malbec — which is a combination of grapes from the three vineyards — is a testament to the company’s mission to let the varietal and terroir speak for themselves.

Achaval-Ferrer is often one of the many participating producers at the Great Wines of the Andes. For a chance to taste Achaval-Ferrer’s top-scoring wines, such as the ones listed below, check out our upcoming JamesSuckling.com events.