Achaval Ferrer Mendoza Malbec

Achaval Ferrer Mendoza Malbec is the signature red of the house that redefined Argentine Malbec — 750mL, 100% Malbec from old vines across Mendoza, Argentina, aged in used French oak, pouring deep violet-red with blackberry, plum, violet and cocoa. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.

• Size: 750mL
• Grape: 100% Malbec, old vines
• Ageing: French oak, second/third use, ~8–12 months depending on vintage (sources conflict)
• Origin: Mendoza, Argentina
• Style: Full-bodied estate red

Low Yields, Old Vines, Real Malbec

When Santiago Achaval and Manuel Ferrer founded the house in 1998, Argentine Malbec was a bulk-wine grape. Their answer was to farm old vines hard — cropping them to a fraction of normal yields so each vine ripened a handful of intensely flavoured bunches — and the estate Malbec is where that philosophy meets an everyday bottle: fruit from mature Mendoza vineyards across Lujan de Cuyo, the Uco Valley and Medrano, a rest in used French oak, and a wine that tastes of blackberry, plum and violet rather than of the barrel. It is the calling card of the red wine shelf it sits on — browse the wider wine cellar or the Achaval Ferrer vendor page for the rest of the house.

Tasting Notes

Nose: Blackberry and plum with Malbec's signature violet lift. Palate: Dense and velvety — dark fruit, a thread of cocoa and sweet spice from the oak third. Finish: Long, ripe and warm, tannins polished.

How to Enjoy

The natural partner for grilled beef, empanadas and anything off the asado — but soft enough, once opened an hour, to drink on its own. Serve at cool room temperature.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes Achaval Ferrer's Malbec different? The farming. The house crops old vines to very low yields for concentration, then ages the wine in second- and third-use French oak barrels, keeping fruit ahead of wood.

Is this one of the Finca single-vineyard wines? No — the Fincas (Altamira, Mirador, Bella Vista) are separate icon bottlings from individual old-vine sites. This is the estate Mendoza Malbec, the house's signature regional wine.

How long can it cellar? The structure and concentration comfortably carry five to eight years from vintage, softening toward cocoa and leather — though it drinks generously on release with air.

The Malbec that built the house's name — order Achaval Ferrer Mendoza Malbec online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.