Winemaker Notes
Deep blackcurrant and oak aromas with opaque red/purple color. Flavors of black cherry liqueur, red currants, and a touch of black tea. Lush without seeming heavy, the wine seems to unfold in layers, keeping the palate excited well past the lengthy finish. Plenty of tannin for aging without any harsh astringency.
Pairs well with most fine food presentations like duck in a fruit sauce, leg of lamb persillade, osso buco, and even a simple filet mignon.
Blend: 60% Malbec, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackcurrants, tree bark, aniseed, cedar and tobacco with a splash of dark spice. A full-bodied red with lots of fruit-coated, dusty tannins to chew on. Long and powerful, but polished. Better in 2024.
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Wine Enthusiast
Fourth-generation winemaker Ernesto Catena built a winery in the heart of the Uco Valley where vines grow at 3,280feet. This juicy blend of 60% Malbec and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon has a nose of berry jam and hints of mint. It has a good concentration of fruit flavors mixed with rosemary. Light notes of smoke add to its complexity.
There are few wine brands that reflect the sensibilities of their owner more than Tikal. A skilled horseman, fashion designer, software developer, and book editor, Ernesto pursues all that gives pleasure in life. This hedonism (in the best sense of the word) shows through in the wines. It is a style meant to provide enormous pleasure rather than provoke contemplation; an expression of emotion rather than intellect. He has named his wines with passion in mind: Patriota (Patriot), Corazon (Heart), Amorio (Love Affair), Jubilo (Rejoice).
Luis Reginato is the winemaker at Tikal as of the 2002 vintage. Luis is young, but is already a highly trained and respected vineyard consultant and winemaker with long experience at his family's winery in Mendoza. Truly an up and coming talent, Luis and his wines are already garnering high praise from U.S. wine critics. Definitely a winemaker to watch.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
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.