Catena Zapata Nicolas 2016

Professional Ratings

• 97 Decanter
  The 2016 vintage is a classic example, a superb blend of Cabernet Sauvignon with 31% Malbec and 8% Cabernet Franc that’s still in its infancy. Subdued aromas of cassis, black cherries and nuanced herbaceous and tobacco notes. A lovely fluid entrance builds on concentration and complexity. Malbec’s seductive juiciness joins a vertical Cabernet structure, tannins and integrated oak, with a long, lingering finish. A wine to wait for.
• 96 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

  The 2016 Nicolás Catena Zapata has not been released, and they are going to sell the 2017 before it. This is the one wine, together with the Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec, that is sold through the négoce in Bordeaux for Europe and Asia. This is backward, serious and austere, with terrific balance and great length. This is a blend of 61% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gualtallary and 31% Malbec from Nicasia. There is also some 8% Cabernet Franc that seems to add a touch, and in 2016, it didn't need irrigation because there was enough rain. This seems to follow the style of the 2013, a little tight, perhaps because of the Cabernets. This is nuanced and complex, with very good integration of the varieties and the oak, fruit, acidity and mineral texture. One of the best vintages for this bottling.?

• 96 Wine & Spirits
  This is a blend of 61 percent cabernet sauvignon with 31 percent malbec and the remainder cabernet franc. It grows in three vineyards in Argelo, Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira ranging from 3,000 feet of elevation to 4,790. In the cool 2016 vintage, with yields down 40 to 50 percent of normal, this wine has a calm gravity, layering cassis, mint and tobacco aromas that gently pull you in. Faint dark-chocolate tannins frame the lightly spiced pale cherry fruit. It would be well-suited to any beef dish, but the wine is complex enough to be a meal on its own. Find someone who wants to sit with you and savor it for hours, appreciating each new contour and expression of the Andes.
• 95 James Suckling

  This a rich and flavorful red, showing blackcurrants and tobacco. Full-bodied, soft and fruity with bright and spicy, oyster-shell and fresh-herb character. Serious cabernet blend.