Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino

Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino bottle image

Wine Description

Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino is made from a meticulous vine selection in the best, historic rows of the Catena family’s estate vineyards. These Zapata vines are carefully hand tended and produce extremely low yields. The grapes are micro-fermented in new French oak barriques and the wine is then aged for 24 months in new French oak. This wine is made in very limited quantities.

Remington-Mendoza
Laura Catena sits at a table with a glass of wine
Malbec Grapes
Alejandro Vigil (Chief Winemaker) and Laura Catena Tasting
Malbec Clone in La Piramide Vineyard
Nicolás Catena
Bodega Catena Zapata
Bodega Catena Zapata
accordion plus icons
Acclaim
The 2008 Argentino Malbec is a blend of 65% Adrianna and 35% Nicasia fruit. It, too, spent 24 months in 100% new French oak. The Argentino offers a similar aromatic and flavor profile but with just a bit of extra nuance, presumably because of the blending. Dense, rich, and voluptuous, this lengthy effort should easily achieve its 20th birthday in peak form. It will be most enjoyable to taste these three wines side-by-side in another 10-15 years.
There is no let up in quality at Catena Zapata, where Nicolas Catena remains in charge, assisted by his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena. The new releases include two white wines.
— Wine Advocate, Dec 2011
Bright ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, espresso, stone and bitter chocolate, with a violet topnote emerging with air. Wonderfully sweet and silky but also quite penetrating, with a remarkably urgent quality to the crushed berry flavor. Superb minerality and a whiff of fresh herbs contribute to this wine's bracing character. Extremely fine-grained from start to long, vibrant finish.
— International Wine Cellar, Mar 2012
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Adrianna Vineyard (Gualtallary district) and Nicasia Vineyard (Altamira district)
Soil composition
Sand
Training method
VSP
Elevation:
3,593 - 4,757 feet
Vines/acre:
2200
Yield/acre:
1.2 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1992-1996
Harvest time:
March - April
First vintage of this wine:
2004
accordion plus icons
Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Malbec
Fermentation container:
Vertical open barriques & small stainless steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
30-32 days
Fermentation temperature:
82.4 - 86 °F
Maceration technique:
Manual punching down
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225 L
Type of oak:
French oak
Length of aging before bottling:
24 Months
Age of Aging Container:
100% New
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
pH level:
3.7
Acidity:
5.6 g/L
Alcohol:
14.5 %