98 points, “Perfumed and seductive nose of purple plums, blueberries, dried roses, violets, lemon zest, chocolate, truffles and cigar box. It’s full-bodied, yet so elegant and weightless. Seamless, finely knit tannins. Beautiful, lengthy finish.” – James Suckling
94 points, “Ambitious, quite spicy, with well-defined blackberry, plum, juniper and rosemary. Silky, supple and with perfumed oak, this is an appealing yet serious style of Malbec.” – Decanter
95 points, “The 2020 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino follows the path of the 2019, harvested early and fermented with 100% full clusters in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in oak vats and some barrels for 12 to 18 months. It's juicy, powerful and with abundant tannins and a slight earthiness. It's a little more voluptuous and mixes grapes from Angélica (Lunlunta) and some from Nicasia (Altamira).” – Rober Parker’s Wine Advocate
This thrilling wine represents an epic family journey spanning 120 years to produce an Argentine Malbec that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great wines of the world.
The stunning label was designed by Stranger & Stranger and depicts the tale of Malbec as it wraps around the bottle. Skipping Roman plantings, it starts with Eleanor of Aquitaine near the bridge at Cahors, where she championed the grape in the Middle Ages. Next comes The Immigrant, symbolising Malbec’s movement to the ‘New World’ in the early 1800s via explorers and colonisers. Then there’s the macabre figure of Madame Phylloxera, who brought death to Malbec in the Old World, but allowing it to be reborn in places like Argentina. And finally, there’s Adrianna Catena standing over Bodega Catena Zapata – a striking building inspired by the Mayan pyramids – ushering in the renaissance of this phenomenal and resilient grape variety.
The grapes for the deeply personal Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino come from the Nicasia and Angélica Vineyards (named after Nicolás Catena Zapata’s grandmother and mother respectively). They’re wild fermented in barrels and the wine is aged in French oak for 18 months creating a wine that holds you in a vice-like grip of powerful dark berries and crème de cassis. Beneath the fruit there are notes of freshly ground coffee, blueberries, soil after the rain, spices, bittersweet dark chocolate, wild mushroom and the salinity of a sea breeze. Despite its richness, depth and concentration, it has an airy freshness imparted by its high altitude that makes it buzz with an electric energy. This is one of the world’s greatest Malbecs.
Catena Zapata was named “The World’s Most Admired Wine Brand 2020” by Drinks International. Established in 1902, the bodega played a pioneering role in the explosion of Malbec and in exploring extreme high-altitude winemaking. Nicolás Catena Zapata, a former Decanter Man of the Year, is widely credited with putting Argentinean wine on the world map and should be placed on a level with the likes of Robert Mondavi in Napa and Angelo Gaja in Piedmont. It is “the most important winery in Argentina” according to Wine Advocate, who also notes that: “the name Catena on the label is a guarantee of quality.” The winery is now run by Dr Laura Catena, the fourth-generation vintner and a graduate of both Harvard and Stanford Universities, who is fast becoming the face of Argentinian wine. When she’s not making wine or writing books, she is a part-time physician of Emergency Medicine in San Francisco – a suitably remarkable winemaker for an equally remarkable estate."
SKU No.: 4103363
Style No.: 970691
Region: Mendoza
Grapes: Malbec
Alcohol by volume (ABV): 13.9%
Volume: 750ml
Allergens: Sulphites
98 points, “Perfumed and seductive nose of purple plums, blueberries, dried roses, violets, lemon zest, chocolate, truffles and cigar box. It’s full-bodied, yet so elegant and weightless. Seamless, finely knit tannins. Beautiful, lengthy finish.” – James Suckling
94 points, “Ambitious, quite spicy, with well-defined blackberry, plum, juniper and rosemary. Silky, supple and with perfumed oak, this is an appealing yet serious style of Malbec.” – Decanter
95 points, “The 2020 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino follows the path of the 2019, harvested early and fermented with 100% full clusters in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts and matured in oak vats and some barrels for 12 to 18 months. It's juicy, powerful and with abundant tannins and a slight earthiness. It's a little more voluptuous and mixes grapes from Angélica (Lunlunta) and some from Nicasia (Altamira).” – Rober Parker’s Wine Advocate
This thrilling wine represents an epic family journey spanning 120 years to produce an Argentine Malbec that can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great wines of the world.
The stunning label was designed by Stranger & Stranger and depicts the tale of Malbec as it wraps around the bottle. Skipping Roman plantings, it starts with Eleanor of Aquitaine near the bridge at Cahors, where she championed the grape in the Middle Ages. Next comes The Immigrant, symbolising Malbec’s movement to the ‘New World’ in the early 1800s via explorers and colonisers. Then there’s the macabre figure of Madame Phylloxera, who brought death to Malbec in the Old World, but allowing it to be reborn in places like Argentina. And finally, there’s Adrianna Catena standing over Bodega Catena Zapata – a striking building inspired by the Mayan pyramids – ushering in the renaissance of this phenomenal and resilient grape variety.
The grapes for the deeply personal Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino come from the Nicasia and Angélica Vineyards (named after Nicolás Catena Zapata’s grandmother and mother respectively). They’re wild fermented in barrels and the wine is aged in French oak for 18 months creating a wine that holds you in a vice-like grip of powerful dark berries and crème de cassis. Beneath the fruit there are notes of freshly ground coffee, blueberries, soil after the rain, spices, bittersweet dark chocolate, wild mushroom and the salinity of a sea breeze. Despite its richness, depth and concentration, it has an airy freshness imparted by its high altitude that makes it buzz with an electric energy. This is one of the world’s greatest Malbecs.
Catena Zapata was named “The World’s Most Admired Wine Brand 2020” by Drinks International. Established in 1902, the bodega played a pioneering role in the explosion of Malbec and in exploring extreme high-altitude winemaking. Nicolás Catena Zapata, a former Decanter Man of the Year, is widely credited with putting Argentinean wine on the world map and should be placed on a level with the likes of Robert Mondavi in Napa and Angelo Gaja in Piedmont. It is “the most important winery in Argentina” according to Wine Advocate, who also notes that: “the name Catena on the label is a guarantee of quality.” The winery is now run by Dr Laura Catena, the fourth-generation vintner and a graduate of both Harvard and Stanford Universities, who is fast becoming the face of Argentinian wine. When she’s not making wine or writing books, she is a part-time physician of Emergency Medicine in San Francisco – a suitably remarkable winemaker for an equally remarkable estate."
SKU No.: 4103363
Style No.: 970691