Winemaker Notes
Family vinters for over 100 years, the Catenas are recognized internationally for their pioneering role in high-altitude viticulture and in leading Argentina's Malbec revolution. In the 1950's, Don Domingo Catena began sourcing Malbec from the vineyards of La Consulta. The combination of intense sunlight and cool nights yields a wine that Domingo prized for its deep purple color, black fruit aromatics and rich velvety tannins. This is Argentine Malbec at its best.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Excellent expression of high-altitude Malbec. Violet and strawberry notes, tense tannins and pungent acidity supporting a wall of ripe and sweet flavors. The purity of blueberry fruit is beautiful and the concentration is just amazing.
90+ points
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Wine & Spirits
Generous in flavors and aromas of red and blue fruits, this malbec moves voluptuously across the palate, robust and sweet. It’s mouth-filling and decadent, a hedonist's pour.
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.