Achaval-Ferrer Finca Mirador Malbec 2013

Robert Parker, Jr.s Wine Advocate: "Starting with the single-vineyards wines, the 2013 Malbec Finca Mirador comes from a plot of Malbec in Medrano planted with old vines, is the warmest of them all, but dont look for any signs of heat or excess ripeness here as the nose is fresh, vibrant and elegant, and without losing its personality it seems to be taken to a higher stage. There is no trace of oak here, despite the fact that they are now using at least a half of smaller, 160-liter barrels for the aging of their top wines. The palate delivers all the nose has promised, plus a fine thread and a thin line of acidity making it remarkably fresh. 2013 seems to be the best vintage yet. Bravo! There is no 2012 of Finca Mirador, because the canopy of the vines was destroyed by hail, and the vines could not ripen the grapes without leaves, so they were forced to cut all the unripe bunches and drop them. I wonder if this has something to do with the exceptional performance of Mirador in 2013. Drink 2015-2022. Achval-Ferrer has produced its best collection of wines in 2013, with a superb showing of the ugly duckling, Finca Mirador, that usually suffers in comparison with Bella Vista and Altamira early on. But Santiago Achval tells me its a winner in the long run. In this 2013, the Mirador even challenges Altamira! Splitting hairs anyway." Aug 2015 Winery: "A definitive expression of terroir. Pristine, medium ruby red in color with layers of spice and aromas of blackberry, dark chocolate, espresso and tobacco. Savory characters of graphite, leather, herbs and pepper add to the complexity and personality of this wine which finishes with textured elegant tannins. Low yields, careful vineyard management and low intervention winemaking are the hallmark of this and all other Achaval-Ferrer wines." Bottle750ml, corkVarietal100 percent Malbec Alcohol14.5 percentAcidity6.48g/LBrix at Harvest24.14pH3.6Aging15 months in 2-yr old French oak barrels (Boutes and Mercury) RegionMendoza, ArgentinaProductionLimited at 1,425 dozen