Winemaker Notes
Pairs well with steak or lamb, demi-glace sauces, or Chateaubriand for an elegant and special dinner.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a beautiful cabernet sauvignon with pretty ripe fruit and currants, blackberries and spices. Full and silky. Fine finish. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2012 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon is produced with grapes from different zones of Mendoza, La Piramide around the winery in Agrelo, Nicasia at 1,095 meters altitude in Altamira in the Uco Valley, and Domingo in Villa Bastias in Tupungato. Harvesting the whites they learn about the vintage and make decisions about the harvest dates for the rest. In the slightly warmer 2012 they harvested a little earlier to keep the freshness. The decision clearly paid off as the wine feels quite Atlantic (a rarity in a warmish year), is subtle, balanced and austere. A Cabernet in uppercase. 30,000 bottles produced.
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Wine Enthusiast
Foresty, earthy aromas of leather and black fruits are rugged and a touch rustic. In the mouth, this is voluminous and chewy, with fresh acidity. Flavors of licorice, herbs, pepper, plum and blackberry finish with light herbal notes and bright acidity that will ensure a fairly long lifespan. Drink through 2024.
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Wine Spectator
A ripe and deeply spiced red, with dark plum and dried blackberry flavors that are rich and smoky. Fresh acidity provides the backdrop, leading to a long, lingering finish of hoisin sauce and dark chocolate accents. Drink now through 2020.
Bodega Catena Zapata is one of Argentina's high-altitude Malbec pioneers. The Catena family began making wine in Mendoza in 1902. Nicolas Catena, third generation family vintner, was one of the first to see the potential of Mendoza's mountain vineyards for producing high quality Malbec. In 1994, he became the first Argentine to export a world-class bottling of Malbec under the Catena label. Nicolas is joined by his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, in their relentless pursuit of world-class quality from the family's high-altitude vineyards. Laura has done extensive work in introducing Malbec and other varietal plant selections, soil and climate analysis, and sustainable practices throughout Mendoza. Head winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, has been at Catena Zapata since 2002 and works with Laura and Nicolas to make wines that express the family's vineyards and palate.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.