History
In Achaval Ferrer, the legacy of time was protected in an era where the old was replaced by the new.
In 1998 a group of Italian and Argentine friends embarked on a pioneering journey. Their aim was to realise a long-held dream: making truly great wine in Argentina.
This was an ambitious project at a time when Argentina was mainly known for mass-produced, inexpensive, commercial wines. In 1999, flying in the face of convention, the company of Achaval Ferrer was born. Their quest, fuelled by enthusiasm and passion was, and is, not only to produce world-class quality but also to remain faithful to their origins.
It is the vineyards not the winemaking, which are deemed fundamental, the very essence of the finished wine. That said, luring talented, award-winning winemaker Tuscan winemaker Roberto Cipresso from his beloved Italy was something of a coup.
He too believes that success lies in the vineyard and that his role is to allow the vines and the land to achieve their maximum expression in the wines.
The Vineyards
The vineyards are in 3 different locations around Mendoza, Argentina (Mayor Drummond, La Consulta, Medrano).
Medrano is at 700m above sea level and soils here are heavy with clay. Vines are more than 80 year old vines on own roots.
At La Consulta was the first vineyard to capture Roberto Cipresso’s imagination. Neglected, semi-abandoned and hideously overgrown, the imagination required was indeed considerable, but how well it paid off. The 5.5 ha Altamira vineyard sits at 1,050 metres above sea level, in the La Consulta region of the Uco Valley, 50 miles south of Mendoza.
The soil is lime-sand with volcanic ash over eroded rock, rich in volcanic residue, just 20 metres or so from the Tunuyán river. Un-grafted, naturally low-yielding vines of over 80 years produce intense, concentrated fruit, but 3 vines are required for just one bottle of wine. 619 cases of 12 were produced in 2012, aged for 15 months in 100% new French oak.
From a hight altitude a single vineyard is well situated in Argentina’s Mendoza province at 980m above sea level. Here warm sunny days and cool nights prolong the ripening season. This, in addition to poor alluvial soils and low rainfall, sets the scene for the production of concentrated, mature grapes, which make for great structure and complexity in the finished wine.