Source: jamessuckling.com. Issue Date: Thursday, February 3, 2022 (JS-99)

This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.

Source: End of March 2021, The Wine Advocate; Issue Date: 31st Mar 2021 (RP-96)

It feels like there was a big change in the 2019 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino, a year with a vibrant palate and very clean and focused aromas and flavors. They fine-tuned the irrigation and viticulture, and that seems to have increased the precision of the wine. They also did a selection and left the grapes from the borders of the vineyard, which were affected by the paths and other stuff. It’s still a little more voluptuous than the wines from Gualtallary, as this mixes grapes from Ang?lica (Lunlunta) and Nicasia (Altamira). It’s nicely textured and tasty, medium-bodied and with a vibrant finish. 25,200 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2020.
Drink Date: 2021 – 2029

Source: catenazapata.com

EN CENTURIES OF LIFE, DEATH AND REBIRTH
The epic tale of the noble Malbec grape is like no other, and the label for Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino pays tribute to the variety’s history in France and its rise in Argentina. Four female figures embody different landmarks in the history of the grape. Eleanor of Aquitaine represents the birth of Malbec. She is a strong, Old World presence, lingering at the bridge in Cahors, where Malbec came into its own. Next, the Immigrant symbolizes the movement to the New World and the unknown explorers and adventurers who connected Europe with the Americas. Phylloxera personifies the death of Malbec in the Old World, which enabled its rebirth in the new. Finally, there is Bodega Catena Zapata, represented by Adrianna Catena, who depicts birth, earth, and motherhood, sharing the riches of the New World. Today, the Catena family’s fourth generation leads the high-altitude renaissance in Argentina. We are returning Malbec to the sky… where it belongs.

WINE DESCRIPTION
No matter what the vintage, this wine is really more than 100 years old. It represents a family’s journey to produce an Argentine Malbec that can stand with the great wines of the world.

VINIFICATION
20% whole cluster and 80% whole berry fruit is hand-loaded into 225-500 liter new French oak barrels for a 100% barrel fermentation for a period of 28 days, allowing seamless oak integration. The fermentation temperature is kept low, extracting intense aromas, and the cap management is done by hand to ensure soft, gentle flavors and tannin extraction. Wild yeasts. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel leaves considerable lees and sediment. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

VINEYARDS
Old Vines from the Catena Zapata Family Vineyards, Nicasia and Angélica. The origins of the vines, which we call “The Catena Cuttings”, is a prephyloxeric Massale Selection from the Angélica Vineyard.

Harvest time varies depending on each lot’s soil composition. Harvest time can vary by several weeks between one lot and another within the same vineyard.

Nicasia Vineyard: Named after Nicolás Catena Zapata’s grandmother.
Shallow loamy soil. Gravel on surface and topsoil.
Location: La Consulta District, San Carlos Region, Mendoza, Argentina.
Altitude: 3,593 ft (1,095 m) elevation.
Planted in 1996 (20 years old vineyard).
Angélica Vineyard: Named after Nicolás Catena Zapata’s mother.
Soil: Adjacent to dry river bed. Light gravel, loam and clay.
Location: Lunlunta District, Maipú Region, Mendoza, Argentina.
Altitude: 3,018 ft (920 m) elevation.
Planted in: Circa 1930 (90 years old vineyard)
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Varietal: 100% Malbec
Alcohol: 13.9 %
Total Acidity: 5.95 grams/liter
pH: 3.65
Wine Director: Alejandro Vigil