Mission Codename Touching Heaven
Today’s superb wine receives our very heartiest recommendation.
Winemaker Santiago Achával is one of the hottest, most award-winning and most respected winemakers in the world. Here are a few of his accomplishments:
Wine Spectator’s Top 100 Wines of 2012 named his wine Top 10 in the world.
Robert Parker rated seven of Santiago’s wines with the lowest score a 96, and several at 98 & 99 points. Wine Advocate rated his wines 95 or higher no fewer than 18 times.
Since 2005, Santiago’s wines have appeared on Wine Spectator’s Top 100 wines of the world list, five times.
Decanter rated his Malbec #1 out of 255 wines.
Wine & Spirits named Santiago’s winery property “Winery of the Year” based on blind tastings of more than 9,000 wines globally.
Born of vineyards that touch the heavens, today’s Hand Of God 2012 Fingerprint Series Sobremesa Vineyard VRM White Wine is a truly remarkable wine - that isn’t your normal, everyday white. This wine is complex and filled with intrigue. From first sip to the last drop, it will keep you discussing its myriad virtues.
Fruit and flowers and sunshine abound on the nose, with aromas of citrus, honeysuckle, creamed honey, vanilla custard, orange blossom, subtle fennel frond and a hint of lime leaf.
As the color and the aromatic nose may indicate, this wine is rich and very flavorful. Flavors of lemon, lime zest, young white peach, lemongrass, white spice, lime leaf and softly toasted oak.
The Sobremesa Vineyard, where this wine was born, is positioned 3,445 feet above sea level in the shadows of the tree-barren Andes mountain range. Sobremesa is chock full of deep gravel beds, mixed with smaller fractions of clay, lime, sand and rocks with good structure and perfect water drainage. The varietals that grow here, thrive in this climate.
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Here’s what the wine press has to say:
92 points - Luiz Gutierrez, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate - “THE 2012 Sobremesa Vineyard Fingerprint Series White Blend assembles Roussanne, Marsanne and Viognier in equal parts grown and fermented together in third and fourth-use oak barrels where it aged for 10 months. Malolactic was carried out and some batonage was performed as they want something more than a fresh and fruity wine. Santiago Achaval prefers this blend to Chardonnay for the climate of Mendoza.
The oak has been absorbed by the fruit, and the nose is quite primary, with ripe yellow fruit aromas, and some smokiness from the lees. The palate is full to medium-bodied, with body and structure. It comes in at a non-shy 14.4% alcohol, which is well-integrated and not evident. The wine has great suppleness and surprising freshness and acidity for these Rhone white grapes. Drink now-2017.”
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92 points - Wine Spectator
What the Winery Says
2012 Fingerprint Series Sobremesa Vineyard VRM White Wine
- Winemaker
- Santiago Achával
- Varietal
- White Wine
- Composition
- 33.3% Viognier
- ~
- 33.3% Roussanne
- ~
- 33.3% Marsanne
- Vintage
- 2012
- Appellation
- Mendoza, Argentina
- Abv
- 14.4%
- Aging
- 10 months
- Barrels
- 3rd year seasoned oak