Achaval Ferrer, Spanish for "I wish I was French"

Recap of recent Achaval Ferrer tasting.

Achaval certainly aspires to be great. Their entry level Malbec starts out at $18-$20, and they go up from there. I'm not sure there's a lot about these wines that really make them representative of where they come from (Argentina), but there's no question this is some high quality juice. The new releases where all decanted for about an hour, but still very hard to taste at this point. The higher-end single vineyard wines felt, at times, like gnawing on a block of iron.

2009 Malbec $20 - Very tight, with a mouth coating viscosity. Fresh and yeasty right now. Fruit will become much more present after a couple months in bottle. There's a slight salinity that adds some interest, but the finish is still fairly tart at this point

2008 Quimera - Malbec/Cab/Franc/Merlot blend $30 - Intense and firm structure. Very high acid component. Aromatics fairly similar to Malbec at this point. The acid is high, but there is still a sense of balance here. Not so much of a mouth coating feeling, but this wine makes a statement.

2008 Mirador - Malbec vineyard planted in 1921 $79 - This is very good. Still takes some concentration to taste, but there are notes of dessert soil and charcoal underneath the red and black fruit notes. A little fatter than the Quimera. Intense flavor profile builds nicely from the entry through the moderately long finish.

2008 Bella Vista - Malbec vineyard planted in 1910 $79 - Still very closed, but concentration is evident. This really starts to feel like Bordeaux. If this was in a line-up of 08 left-bank Bordeaux, I would say french all the way, not that that's a bad thing. The wine is very enjoyable. Well balanced and firm, with an excellent aging potential.

2008 Altamira - Malbec vineyard planted on its own roots, averaging 80 yr old $79 - Shows more sap around the midpalate. Bright and fresh entry leads to compact aromatics of creosote, beef, and dark black fruits. Acidity reverberates nicely on finish, lending balance to the lengthy aromatics.

Back Vintages

2007 Mirador - Picks up some subtle cola notes. Just starting to gain some definition.

2006 Mirador - Surprising complexity. Some secondary notes present. This feels overly mature. Could be bad storage.

2005 Mirador - Still young and primary. Has liveliness with and inky note on the palate. Long life ahead.

2003 Mirador - Beautiful wine. Just developed enough so primary notes are dominant, but subtle secondary notes of truffle and wet tobacco become evident.

2000 Mirador - Said it before, but this is Bordeaux. A great wine and very enjoyable. Tannins are resolved, but just slightly rustic. If this was blind, I'd call this St. Estephe all the way.

So what's the point? Admittedly, I'm not sure where I stand. Great wine is great wine, who cares where it comes from right? Sure, but the other side says that part of what makes great wine great is a distinctive personality. As good as Achaval Ferrer wines are, they seem to be trying to imitate. Almost like a smoking hot Sports Illustrated swim suit cover model. It seems like the models on the cover are just trying to reincarnate Kathy Ireland (with different hair) at this point. Is that wrong? Kathy was (and I'm sure still is) hot. So is more of good thing bad? Do we always need to be different to be considered great? Freud? Where are you?