2012 Achaval-Ferrer Malbec Finca Bella Vista
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Tasting notes
The year 2012 was generally a warm one. However, by the Mendoza River, where Finca Bella Vista is located, the climate was more typical, particularly in March, allowing for the production of this astonishing Malbec. Still healthy and vivacious, it is maturing very nicely while maintaining its vivid purple color. The developing bouquet of spice and black fruit makes for a complex wine also featuring notes of ink, kümmel and traces of herbs. Polished tannins wrap themselves around a juicy, silky texture, while the vibrant, lengthy finish underscores the elements of the bouquet.
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
100-year-old vines. 15 months in new French oak. Dark purple. Very intense, savoury, wild thyme. Lots of personality. (JR)
2012 was a warmer, riper vintage than 2013 in Mendoza, but it shows little in the 2012 Malbec Finca Bella Vista. Perhaps the only hint could be that the fruit from riper vintages takes the oak in a different way and curiously enough the 2012 shows more oak influence than the 2013. There is a great combination of floral and fresh characters and the Mediterranean profile with some aromas of dried herbs. The palate reveals a serious wine with grainy tannins that add an elegant rusticity. Again, the only problem here is having the 2013 next to this great 2012.
(15 months in new French oak; these 100+-year-old vines produced 14 hectoliters per hectare in 2012): Bright ruby. Rich, deep aromas of ripe blackberry, licorice, tropical dark chocolate and menthol plus a whiff of game, all lifted by a pungent mineral element. Plush, seamless and ripe, showing a chocolatey quality to its savory dark berry flavors but energized throughout by lively acidity. Boasts outstanding breadth and length, finishing with noble tannins and terrific length and lift. Wonderfully full and primary. Although this is impeccably balanced from the start it would be a shame not to give it time in bottle to fully express itself. This strikes me as a bit more fruity and less eartly than the 2011 Finca Bella Vista, which was more forbidding a year ago.