For many serious wine lovers, the top Malbec in the world is made by Achaval-Ferrer. Situated in the best hilltop vineyards of Mendoza, they are very much the first family of Argentinean wine. Their vines are pre-phylloxera, with an average age of 107 years! These have very high-density planting with naturally very low yields, enhanced by Achaval’s dedication to quality.

Mendoza is a large province that is home to 75% of the Argentina’s vineyards and Malbec is the region’s most celebrated grape. Of course, this wasn’t always the case. In 1868 a French botanist known as Professor Pouet transplanted Malbec vine cuttings to the dry, grey Mendoza plains in Argentina, only to discover that the base of the Andes mountain range was the perfect environment for the vine to thrive.

Malbec’s rise to international fame began in the early 2000s when the country’s political and economic situation stabilized long enough for the wineries to begin investing in improvements once again.

Critic Reviews

An enticingly complex rendition with sweet tobacco, blueberries, cedar, sesame, licorice and violets. Broad, bright and juicy on the palate, showing dense but polished tannins and fine-tuned minerality and savoriness. Very precise.

95 points James Suckling