Winemaker Notes
Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. His grandson, Nicolás Catena, is known as the man who revolutionized Argentine wine and introduced high altitude Malbec to the world. The Historic Catena Zapata vineyards are planted with the Catena family’s proprietary selection of malbec plants: the Catena Cuttings. Catena Alta Malbec is sourced from Block 18 of the Angélica vineyard, Block 4 of the La Pirámide vineyard, Block 1 of the Nicasia vineyard and Blocks 3 & 9 of the Adrianna vineyard.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Wonderfully fresh violets on the nose with just a hint of clove. Rich, powerful, creamy and fresh, with a long, polished finish. A serious Argentinian malbec with great balance. Drink or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As with the other varietals of the range, I also had two vintages of this to compare, starting with the older 2015 Catena Alta Malbec. It is a mixture of grapes from multiple vineyards: Angelica, La Pirámide, Nicasia, Adrianna and Angélica Sur. It fermented in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels and had an élevage of some 18 months in French oak. You can notice the slightly riper year, and it does suffer a bit in comparison with the truly superb 2016 even though it's a noteworthy expression of Malbec with great freshness for the climatic conditions of the year.
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Wine Spectator
Finely textured, offering concentrated dark plum, cream and spice flavors that are well-structured. The finish lengthens out nicely, with minerally notes. Drink now through 2021.
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Wine Enthusiast
Woodsy aromas of black fruit and gingerbread create a friendly nose that lacks exactness. This is bulky on the palate, with dense berry flavors that are foresty, minty and oaky. Spice and chocolate mint flavors blend with lightly herbal berry notes on the finish.
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.
Most distinguished and celebrated from Argentina’s Mendoza, Malbec has seen runaway success since the early 2000s. Mendoza’s agreeable, continental climate with hot, dry summers and cold snowy winters allows the perfect conditions for growing outstanding Malbec. This grape is easy to like for its lusty, deep flavors and aromas of blackberry, plum, red cherry, autumn spice and tilled earth. It’s easy to find delicious, fruit-driven, affordable everyday examples and in prices beyond, quite exceptional ones with dense, supple textures that make them capable of aging.