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Bodega Catena Zapata
The Winery
Bodega Catena Zapata
Bodega Catena Zapata is one of the foremost wine estates in Mendoza, Argentina. Founded in 1902 and still in family hands, it is particularly known for its rich, full-bodied red wines, usually made from Malbec, and also for its barrel-fermented Chardonnay sourced from high-altitude sites, which combine ripeness with fresh acidity. Owner Nicolás Catena was Decanter Magazine man of the year in 2009. The estate is made up of six vineyards in the Luján de Cuyo, Tupungato and San Carlos sub-regions of Mendoza, at altitudes ranging from 3000-4750 feet (920-1450m) above sea level. The winery, with its striking, Mayan-influenced pyramid shape, is located in Agrelo, in Luján de Cuyo.
Tasting Notes
- WA95
- Doctor Nicolas Catena always liked Cabernet Sauvignon so the wine that carries his name has a greater percentage of the noble Bordeaux grape. The 2010 Nicolas Catena Zapata is a blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Malbec sourced from La Piramide, Domingo, Adrianna and Nicasia. The fresh and balanced 2010 produced good ripeness of the fruit but the acidity was also great and the wine finished with 6.5 grams of acidity and a natural pH of 3.5, as the grapes are selected from cold soils. The first vintage was 1997, but this has to be one of their finest. This has the intensity of the Catena Alta Cabernet and the verticality and austerity of the Adrianna Malbec. It has very good acidity and intensity, while it has some velvety tannins. For a minute I was trying to remember the varietals as the sense of place, the freshness and the earthy sensations clearly take over. A superb bottle of wine. This is a wine to age. Drink 2016-2023.
- WE93
- Spicy, leathery, gritty notes share the nose with ripe black-fruit scents on this blend of 75% Cabernet Sauvignon and 25% Malbec. At this stage, the palate feels narrow and pinched but not miserly. Flavors of spicy blackberry, briary plum and cassis…
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