Friday took us 40 minutes south again to the hugely acclaimed and prestigious winery of Achaval Ferrer in the Cobos area of Mendoza. Founded in 1998 by renowned winemaker of the same name, it has quickly acquired a top class reputation
We were lucky to get in to visit as harvest was well under way and it was clear that the focus is on the winery and the stunning fruit that they source from both their own vineyards and contract growers.
They plant a variety of grapes but our tasting focussed almost exclusively on pure Malbec. Their entry level was one of the best Malbecs we had tasted so far, we then progressed through Lujan de Cuyo and Uco Valley examples, culminating in two vintages of their single vineyard Mirador – 2019 and 2016. This gave us a brilliant insight into the longevity and quality of Malbec at its highest level.
From Achaval Ferrer, it was literally four minutes to Bodega Renacer, another relatively new winery that has developed a good reputation. With buildings inspired by Tuscan architecture, we took a jolly walk with Julian who showed and gave us more detail about the water channels used to irrigate the vineyards and more background to the estate. We ventured into the drying barn – bunches of grapes laying on mats in order to create an Amarone style wine. Renacer were one of the first wineries to promote a commercial style of this type of wine.
As always, it was then time for a tasting – and a quirky and unusual one at that…..A Bequignol Rosé (an historic South Western France grape), a 2020 Cabernet Franc, the Milamore appassimento style red and a pink fizz.
Then it was time for lunch. Fabulous empanadas, more meats and dessert. Once more we headed back to our hotel feeling very full!
