2021 Bodega Catena Zapata Angelica Zapata Malbec Alta

Catena Zapata is the undisputed first family of Argentine wine. While Nicolás Catena is the man who put high-altitude Malbec on the world map, this "Alta" bottling is a tribute to the family matriarch, Angélica Zapata. It’s a serious, small-parcel blend sourced from their historic rows in the Lunlunta and San Carlos vineyards - vines that have been under the family's care for four generations.

The 2021 season was an excellent vintage, coming in slightly cooler than average. This gave the reds a rare combination of deep concentration and bright, optimal acidity without the heavy alcohol levels sometimes found in Mendoza. Winemaker Laura Catena employs a massive cold soak to pull out every bit of aromatic detail before a wild fermentation and up to two years in French oak.

It’s a textbook, first-class, high-altitude Malbec. It leads with intense layers of dark berries, chocolate, and a distinct toasted hazelnut note. There’s a supple, velvety texture to the mid-palate, but it’s reined in by a savoury, mineral-edged finish. It’s an elegant, broad-shouldered wine that’s drinking beautifully now but has the structural bones to evolve in the cellar for another twenty years.

95 points
"Fresh yet ripe nose with blackberries, chocolate mint, dark cherries, minerals and fine spices. Juicy, full-bodied and compact, with a flavourful centre palate loaded with fine, dusty tannins. Long and even, with rich but fresh fruit and cocoa powder at the end. Drink or hold."
- James Suckling