Winemaker Notes
Bright, medium ruby color. Vibrant, strong aromas of blackberry, violet, dark raspberry and crushed stone. Very well built, fine tannins with super concentrated body, Utterly silky finish with a perfumed back end.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Malbec Finca Bella Vista is named after a vineyard located in Perdriel, in Luján de Cuyo, a classical zone in the province or Mendoza, from where the grapes are sourced. The process is quite similar for all of their wines, hand-picked grapes that go through a sorting table, fermentation in epoxy-lined cement vats with neutral yeasts and aging in new French oak barrels for some 13 months. Floral, peachy, aromatic, open and forward, this 2014 is elegant and harmonious. It feels lively and young.
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Wine Enthusiast
Earthy berry aromas are complex due to side notes of crushed leaves, charred meat and burnt wood. This single-vineyard Malbec is juicy and loaded with energy as a result of racy acidity. Plum, wild berry, herb and spice flavors finish dry, firm and focused. Cellar Selection
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Wine & Spirits
In Perdriel, adjacent to the winery Achaval Ferrer built in 2006, Finca Bella Vista is a vineyard on the southern bank of the Mendoza River, where the vines date to 1910. The alluvial soils, composed of sand and gravel, tend to deliver powerful wines in cool years like 2014. This wine’s grand and persistent tannins give grip and robust structure. The flavors are lasting, deep and also very ripe. Like the other finca wines of Achaval Ferrer, this needs time in the bottle—at least three years—to fully mature.
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Wine Spectator
A robust red that's full of red plum, dark plum and dried cherry flavors. Green olive notes show midpalate, with a lithe finish that offers minerally and light smoky details.
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.