Catena Zapata
It is very easy to argue that Catena Zapata put premium Malbec on the map for European wine lovers, becoming not just the 'Argentina winery of reference' in the words of the Wine Advocate but the highest standard for fine wine production in all of South America. It was Nicolás Catena, the first South American to win 'Decanter Man of the Year', who revolutionised his family's winery, blending European winemaking techniques with their stunning high-altitude vineyards, creating wines that became famous for their poise and finesse.
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Mendoza | 15 | 93+ (VN) | $316.00 | |||||
Vinous (93+)Bright medium ruby. Blackberry, licorice and violet on the nose. Far tighter and less sweet than the 2014 version; a more minerally and linear version of Malbec that lacks the expansiveness of the '14. Finishes with a firm edge of tannins and terrific length. A bit less ripe--and more green--than the 2014, with tighter tannins. A bit of a question mark owing to its serious tannic spine, this wine would appear to offer excellent potential longevity but it will require patience. |
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Mendoza | 14 | 95+ (VN) | $316.00 | |||||
Vinous (95+)Bright ruby. Captivating floral and spicy high tones lift aromas of blackberry, cassis and dark chocolate on the subtle, complex nose. Juicy, penetrating Malbec with sharply delineated black fruit, violet and spice flavors carried on the back end by brisk acidity (actually 6.5 grams per liter) and strong salty, chalky minerality. In its focus and youthfully lean style, this is hardly your typical Argentina Malbec. But this wonderfully suave yet powerful wine opens out and rises spectacularly on the saline back end, where the crushed dark berry flavors are perfectly supported by noble tannins. A knockout! Winemaker Vigil's use of a bit of Cabernet Franc in his top Malbec bottlings always leaves me wondering why more of his colleagues don't take this approach. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 98 (WA) | $417.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (98)The 2018 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard, from a vineyard planted in Altamira in 1996 from an old massal selection, has contained ripeness, reflecting the less warm vintage (after 2017). The grapes were picked very early but with good ripeness because of the low yields in a very dry year. It fermented in open-top barrels with 100% full clusters and indigenous yeasts and matured in 500-liter oak barrels. It's a balanced and elegant Malbec with some restraint and a very fine thread in the palate, with really fine tannins. It follows the path of the phenomenal 2017, fine and elegant. 12,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in May 2020. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 97 (JS) | $241.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)A big, rich red with blackberry, chocolate, toasted oak, peat and flowers. It’s full-bodied and layered and very flavorful in the finish. Still very youthful, but shows tension and focus. Drink or hold. |
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Mendoza | 2 | 97 (JS) | $786.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)A big, rich red with blackberry, chocolate, toasted oak, peat and flowers. It’s full-bodied and layered and very flavorful in the finish. Still very youthful, but shows tension and focus. Drink or hold. |
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Mendoza | 3 | 96 (WA) | $786.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)The 2013 Nicolás Catena Zapata is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Malbec from the La Pirámide, Adrianna and Nicasia vineyards. It is perfectly clean and focused, a noticeable improvement over the 2012 vintage. The Cabernet Sauvignon from this cool vintage seems to have a more restrained character that made me think of Cabernet Franc, very classical and serious. They have been harvesting earlier and earlier in search of balance and freshness, and the strategy has definitely worked. It has great freshness and focus, and the lower alcohol and acidity seem to make the wine integrate the oak very nicely. This has to be one of the finest vintages of Nicolás Catena Zapata. 55,000 bottles produced. |
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Mendoza | 19 | 93+ (VN) | $573.00 | |||||
Vinous (93+)Bright, dark ruby-red. Reticent aromas of blackcurrant, blueberry, licorice and spicy oak are a bit less expressive than those of the 2015 bottling. Impressively rich, pliant and sweet but with excellent vinosity too. A bit more muscular than the 2015 version, as much saline as sweet, with its substantial tannins saturating the entire palate and building. This will take at least a few more years to deliver on its inherent complexity. (Incidentally, the old Agrelo vineyard--La Piramide--from which much of the Cabernet Sauvignon comes has many Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc vines interspersed in it, but the vineyard is registered as Cabernet Sauvignon so this is what goes on the technical sheet.) |
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Mendoza | 1 | 96 (JS) | $376.00 | |||||
James Suckling (96)A giant. Not only in Argentina’s strong suit in terms of power, it also shows finesse and aromatic complexity. There are all manner of blackberries, smoke, chocolate and spicy notes. Built on a panoramic scale, but full of energy and enormous refinement. The finish cascades on and on. A blend of 83% cabernet sauvignon and 17% malbec. Try in 2021. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 97 (DC) | $127.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)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. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 97 (DC) | $262.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)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. |
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Mendoza | 2 | 97 (DC) | $307.00 | |||||
Decanter (97)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. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 97 (JA) | $214.00 | |||||
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)A sit up and take notice wine. Inky colour, smooth tannins, still young and crouched but already combining subtlety and confidence. On the palate, you get a wall of liquorice, crushed cardamom, rosemary, cassis, liqueur, all expertly delivered by winemaker Fernando Buscema. Sensational wine. Tasted twice, same impression each time, of a wine full of life and interest. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. |
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Mendoza | 29 | 97 (JA) | $247.00 | |||||
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)A sit up and take notice wine. Inky colour, smooth tannins, still young and crouched but already combining subtlety and confidence. On the palate, you get a wall of liquorice, crushed cardamom, rosemary, cassis, liqueur, all expertly delivered by winemaker Fernando Buscema. Sensational wine. Tasted twice, same impression each time, of a wine full of life and interest. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. |
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Mendoza | 4 | 97 (JA) | $349.00 | |||||
Jane Anson Inside Bordeaux (97)A sit up and take notice wine. Inky colour, smooth tannins, still young and crouched but already combining subtlety and confidence. On the palate, you get a wall of liquorice, crushed cardamom, rosemary, cassis, liqueur, all expertly delivered by winemaker Fernando Buscema. Sensational wine. Tasted twice, same impression each time, of a wine full of life and interest. Bottled unfiltered and unfined. |
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Mendoza | 29 | 98 (JS) | $292.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)This has a complex nose of baked blackberries, grilled plums, dried earth, moss, pine cones, sandalwood, charcoal and cloves. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Wow. So much going on. Layered, seamless and silky. Incredible length. Keeps going. 42% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec and 28% cabernet franc. Try this from 2024. |
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Mendoza | 8 | 98 (JS) | $389.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)This has a complex nose of baked blackberries, grilled plums, dried earth, moss, pine cones, sandalwood, charcoal and cloves. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Wow. So much going on. Layered, seamless and silky. Incredible length. Keeps going. 42% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec and 28% cabernet franc. Try this from 2024. |
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Mendoza | 10 | 98 (JD) | $225.00 | |||||
Jeb Dunnuck (98)Red-fruited, herbal, and seamless on the palate, the 2020 Nicolas Catena Zapata is a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc, and 21% Malbec. Medium-bodied and well-integrated in terms of both oak and acidity, it has complexity throughout, offering highlights of dark chocolate, black pepper, and sagey mint. A contemplative wine that should age beautifully for another 10-15 years, it was made by Alejandro Vigil from Zapata vines to represent the original Bordeaux blend of the 18th and 19th centuries. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 97 (JS) | $325.00 | |||||
James Suckling (97)Sweet tobacco, cigar box, berries and minerals. It gets a little zesty and citrusy on the nose. Really refined and juicy on the palate with lot of fine tannins. Silky, fluid and linear with a very elegant, soft-spoken finish. 46% cabernet sauvignon from Adrianna vineyard and 44% malbec and 10% cabernet franc from Nicasia vineyard. Really refined, long and Bordelais. This is already drinking really well, but it will hold like this for a long time. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 96 (WA) | $360.00 | |||||
Wine Advocate (96)I had two vintages to taste from the two whites from Adrianna Vineyard, which provided a fascinating comparison. Like all the rest, the 2015 White Bones Chardonnay had a long fermentation with wild yeasts and aged in French barriques for some 12 to 16 months, depending on the lot. It's fascinating to compare this with the 2016 and with both years from the White Stones. This is the more exuberant, open, aromatic and balsamic of the four wines, while it is still very young and fresh. The palate is also very expressive and combines power with elegance and freshness. It's long, tasty and mineral, with a salty finish. 4,500 bottles were filled in July 2016. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 98 (JS) | $626.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)A dense and bright chardonnay that shows incredible depth and freshness with dried pineapple, licorice, aniseed and lemongrass. Full-bodied, layered and very, very long. Linear and exciting. Goes on for minutes. Release in October 2018. Drink or hold. |
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Mendoza | 1 | 98 (JS) | $401.00 | |||||
James Suckling (98)Honeysuckle, ripe pear and some dried apple. So perfumed. Full-bodied with incredible intensity and length. So much green-apple character and lots of flowers. Dried mango, too. The touch of flor growth in the barrel gives this unique character. Goes on for minutes on the finish. Endless, vibrant acidity. Minerally texture. Drink now or hold. |
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