Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Compared with the 2012, the 2013 Malbec Finca Altamira feels so high-pitched and loaded with aromas of distilled violets and lilies intermixed with licorice, raspberries, wild strawberries and some chalky minerality with no oak at all. The palate combines juiciness with the electricity of the sharp acidity, ultra-refined tannins and a minerality that sticks to your teeth. This is incredibly supple, mineral, almost salty and amplified by the acidic fruit character. As with many of the Achával-Ferrer wines, this is the best Altamira I've tasted. Super! Some 10,000 bottles produced of this superb, showy Malbec from chalky soils.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
The most complete of the 2013 Achaval Ferrer Single Vineyard Malbecs, the Finca Altamira starts out with tantalizing aromas—red fruits, minerals, earth, flowers—and fills out on the palate with an exuberance and richness that is rarely seen. The wine finishes with superb fruit and earth concentration. A shading of sweet oak rounds out the long finish. Drinks young now. (Tasted: September 7, 2016, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
Achaval-Ferrer's wines are unique across the board. This one from La Consulta in the Uco Valley shows boysenberry aromas with an herbal cut and a note of leather. The palate is at once juicy and smooth—flavors of desert brush, herbs, blueberry, savory plum and mixed spices finish with energy and subtlety. Drink through 2023.
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James Suckling
Beautiful aromas of blackberries, licorice and stones. Full body, fine tannins and a tight, focused finish. Tangy and energetic wine. Drink or hold.
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Wine Spectator
A powerful, savory and expressive red, with firm flavors of dried berry, cedar and mocha, supported by fresh acidity. Beefy notes show on the finish, featuring medium-grained tannins.
Celebrated for its bold flavors and supple texture, Malbec has enjoyed runaway success in Argentina since the late 20th century. The grape originated in Bordeaux, France, where it historically contributed color and tannin to blends. A French agronomist, who saw great potential for the variety in Mendoza’s hot, high-altitude landscape, brought Malbec to Argentina in 1868. Somm Secret—If you’re trying to please a crowd, Malbec is generally a safe bet with its combination of dense fruit and soft tannins.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.