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100 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2017 decade in Argentina and has recently taken over the program at Arínzano as well as more of a leadership role within the company. Rearte traveled to both New Zealand and California to participate in harvests prior to joining Achaval Ferrer in 2013 as well. Compiling ten years of expe - rience in the Mendoza region, 2017 was Gomez's first harvest with the winery. Six Distinctive Wines Six individual wines make up the Achaval Ferrer portfolio. The Mendoza tier includes Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon varietal wines, with a limited edition of Cabernet Franc launching in the U.S. this year. These wines are blended from Achaval Ferrer's estate vineyards—Altamira, Bella Vista, Mirador and Diamante—and the winery purchases fruit for these wines as well. "The idea is to make a wine that's fresh with a lot of fruit, nice tannin; this tier is to get to know Malbec," explains Louzada. Achaval Ferrer purchased the Bella Vista and Mirador vineyards in 2000, although they did not produce single-vineyard wines for a few years until the team thought the fruit high-quality enough to stand alone. The Bella Vista vine - yard is home to the winery facility itself, the building acquired in 2006, and the 16 hectares (40 acres) of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon lie on limestone soils over sand and rock at approximately 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) of elevation in the town of Perdriel, located on the south bank of the Río Mendoza in the heart of Luján de Cuyo. The Mirador vineyard—admittedly my favorite wine in the single-vineyard group, no matter the vintage—lies the furthest east in the appellation, suggesting it would be warmer and, at lower elevation, deliver a more robust wine. Yet I found this to be the most reserved and structured. It pos - sessed the charm of Malbec but the struc- ture of a regal wine. The Mirador vineyard lies 20 meters from the Tunuyán River, with clay-lime soils over the familiar alluvial soils. These channels take advantage of flood irrigation for the vineyards prior to the growing season, lessening the need for irrigation later. COURTESY OF ACHAVAL FERRER COURTESY OF ACHAVAL FERRER Quimera: an inspired Malbec- driven red blend that includes Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. Just days before harvest, these Malbec clusters look phenomenal. PHOTO: ALLYSON GORSUCH