Winemaker Notes
The 2008 Catena Malbec shows a dark violet color with deep bluish-black tones. The nose offers ripe, concentrated dark fruit aromas with delicate floral notes and traces of vanilla and mocha. The mouthfeel is rich and lush, with spices, tobacco and a touch of leather. The finish presents soft, supple tannins with bright, crisp acidity and a flinty minerality that gives the wine exceptional length.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2008 Malbec (priced just over the limit to qualify for the Value report), dark ruby red in color, it delivers an alluring bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, and black cherry. Smooth textured, spicy, and easy-to understand, this pleasure-bent Malbec is an outstanding value for drinking over the next 4-6 years.
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Wine & Spirits
Aromas of violets and juicy raspberries power past this wine’s lighter scents of black pepper and cassis. Completely filled by the rich, generous fruit flavors that promise a good life in bottle.
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Wine Enthusiast
Wines like this have defined and propelled Malbec mania. It's ripe, bold and firm. with welcoming berry aromas and a powerful but healthy palate of ripped black cherry, berry and cola flavors. In the mix and on the finish you'll find coffee and mocha. Drink now and over the next two years.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and polished, boasting lots of pure cassis, blackberry and boysenberry fruit that courses along, carried by alluring spice, integrated toast and a nice, lingering anise note. Drink now through 2011.
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.
KOE105007_2008 Item# 105007