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2007 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec Alamos Selección |
| Vintage | 2007 |  Label 1 of 6   | |
| Type | Red | ||
| Producer | Bodega Catena Zapata (web) | ||
| Variety | Malbec | ||
| Designation | Alamos Selección | ||
| Vineyard | n/a | ||
| Country | Argentina | ||
| Region | Mendoza | ||
| SubRegion | n/a | ||
| Appellation | n/a | ||
| UPC Code | 089046096093 |
| Community Tasting History |
Community Tasting Notes (average 87.1 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 42 notes) | |
| Tasted by mattyboy76 on 1/12/2010 & rated 85 points: Very good Tuesday night Malbec. Has many of the qualities as it's big brother Catena Malbec without the nuances. Typical malbec fruit, and a nice finish. If you can find it for $13, it's a good buy. (345 views) | |
| Tasted by gigabit on 1/9/2010 & rated 87 points: (276 views) | |
| Tasted by SKannan on 12/30/2009 & rated 89 points: (327 views) | |
| Tasted by dharlow on 12/30/2009 & rated 88 points: (348 views) | |
| Tasted by ChrisBman on 12/6/2009 & rated 86 points: As others said, initial pop and pour was a bit harsh. Ran it thru the venturi and it opened up and smoothed out. Decent dark fruit, plum, earth and I picked up pepper and other spice on the finish. I almost prefer the lower end Alamos malbec better for less than $10. (621 views) | |
| Tasted by smenzer on 11/8/2009 & rated 85 points: (596 views) | |
| Tasted by Richard Jennings on 10/6/2009 & rated 90 points: Wines of Argentina Annual Trade Tasting (Regency Center, San Francisco, CA): Black fruit, plum nose; poised black fruit, plum palate; medium finish (1004 views) | |
| Tasted by flwinos on 10/6/2009 & rated 82 points: Popped and poured. Initially after a few minutes, the nose began to sing with cherry and blueberry, with some earth. The palate was also fruit driven and the acidity was balanced, with some smoke. However after two hours, this became extremely tart on the finish. Not a big fan of this wine at all, even considering the price point - but if I were to drink this again, I would drink it with food (perhaps a meat sauce or something tomato-based). There are much better wines for the $$$$. (971 views) | |
| Tasted by drdebs on 10/1/2009 & rated 90 points: Terrific Malbec with aromas of blackberry, violets, and spice. The flavors are nicely layered, and include black cherry, fennel, and violets along with a pleasant leathery note. Satiny tannins and refreshing acidity round out this wine. Excellent QPR for $20, unusually complex. (1016 views) | |
| Tasted by aslan-m on 9/19/2009 & rated 90 points: (842 views) | |
| Tasted by pritch on 9/14/2009 & rated 85 points: Comes off kind of harsh and doesn't get any better later. (1090 views) | |
| Tasted by Fogcity54 on 9/3/2009: Picked this one out on my own w/out recommendations. Pleasantly surprise - would purchase again. (831 views) | |
| Tasted by jaydanahy on 8/29/2009 & rated 84 points: (1005 views) | |
| Tasted by Anonymous on 8/7/2009 & rated 79 points: Purple for a Malbec. Mild aromatics include raspberry. Medium full body with defined acidity. Simplistic in expression with nothing more than red berries to offer. The finish has a twitch of souring and is short lived. For an 18$ Malbec it doesn't prove a thing to me other than it is average. (1296 views) | |
| Tasted by Lessthanzero on 7/27/2009 & rated 88 points: P&P, serve chilled... (1361 views) | |
| Tasted by Lessthanzero on 7/18/2009 & rated 88 points: Showed better than last, but this time I Popped & Poured. THe wine just doesn't develop complexity and the added coolness of coming directly from the cellar, lowered the (perceived) acidity. I also had it with food, which made it show better. Inky purple color. Muted nose of assorted black berries, oak and pepper on the nose. Drank smoothly for about 20 minutes when the Tannins took over. LOTS of tannins. so much so that Id say the drinking windown just got expanded by a couple of years. IF the rest of my bottles are more similar to this one than the last one I had. Oh well, at this price level I can tolerate variability. (1360 views) | |
| Tasted by Sid_Mac on 6/28/2009 & rated 86 points: (1240 views) | |
| Tasted by Hi-Ho-Silver on 6/16/2009 & rated 88 points: (1274 views) | |
| Tasted by La Cave d'Argent on 5/27/2009 & rated 90 points: Tasted in double-blind fashion as a possible wine to present at an upcoming South American wine tasting. Bright disc. Opaque purple robe with violet rim. Clean nose, showing quite intense aromas of black currants, black cherries, licorice and minerals. Full-bodied on the palate, with low acidity and big velvety tannins. The flavors are similar to the nose and the mouth texture is silky. Medium-to-long, smooth finish. Great value! Drink now-12/14. (1747 views) | |
| Tasted by Lessthanzero on 5/18/2009 & rated 87 points: Deep, dark color. Pepper, cherry and blackberry onthe nose. I had expected more of this medium bodied wine, which sort of fell a little flat, tasting thin and a little sour. (1683 views) | |
| Tasted by mos on 5/2/2009 & rated 88 points: Yummy smoky hickory bacon nose. Smoke, oak, earth, and all kinds of goodness on the taste. For a $12 bottle of wine this is a steal! (1711 views) | |
| Tasted by europat55 on 4/13/2009 & rated 83 points: Good wine, but nothing exceptionnal. A little sharp on the edges. (1941 views) | |
| Tasted by rcmcb on 4/8/2009 & rated 86 points: Decant for a minimum of 1 hour. Decent wine, nothing too special - missing any kind of "it" factor. (1923 views) | |
| Tasted by Pike_Fisherman on 3/11/2009 & rated 87 points: (1680 views) | |
| Tasted by tooch on 3/1/2009 & rated 88 points: Very deep, dark color. Nose had hints of pepper and clove with big time cherry and blackberry notes. The smoothness of the wine was very enjoyable, and as the wine lay open, the complexity increased. I would recommend decanting for at least an hour before drinking. My final glass of the evening was by far the most enjoyable. Great QPR. (2115 views) | |
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| Producer website
CATENA
What can i say about Catena. It is the most well known winery from Argentina. Nicolás Catena is like Bob Mondavi from South America. They make terrific wines and they are committed to improving the quality of their wines and the wine product of Argentina. Some special wines were compared to Latour, Haut Brion, Penfolds and Opus One. Every Cellar that considers to know something from Argentina has to get something of Catena.
Bronze Medal - 2009 San Francisco International Wine Competition About red wine Varietal character (Appellation America) One of the traditional “Bordeaux varietals”, Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. A midseason ripener, it can bring very deep color, ample tannin, and a particular plum-like flavor component to add complexity to claret blends. Malbec is a finicky vine whose fruit is prone to rot and mildew in the cool, damp coastal climate of Bordeaux. But ask a Bordelais grower why there’s no Malbec around, and you’ll more likely get a dismissive shrug and sniff than a viticultural analysis. It is known in much of France as Côt, and, in Cahors, also as Auxerrois. There are in fact hundreds of local synonyms, since Malbec at one time was widely planted all over the country. Sensitivity to frost and proclivity to shatter or coulure (a disease that results in premature fruit drop) is the primary reason that Malbec has become a decreasing factor in most of France. Although plantings in the Medoc have decreased by over twothirds since the mid-twentieth century, Malbec is now the dominant red varietal in the Cahors area. The Appellation Controlée regulations for Cahors require a minimum content of 70%. Malbec is also planted in Chile, and there’s relatively little and recent acreage in California and Australia. It is usually blended with other red varietals in these countries. But Malbec truly comes into its own in Argentina, where it is the major red varietal planted. Much of the Malbec vines there were transplanted from Europe prior to the outbreak of phylloxera and most is therefore ungrafted, on its own roots. Sadly, over the years the bug infested Argentina, too, and vineyards are being replanted on resistant rootstock. Happily, the vines thrive in the arid climate of the Mendoza region in the foothills of the Andes. Made in the context of this South American nation’s Spanish and Italian heritage, it produces a delicious wine that has almost nothing in common with Bordeaux except the color. Argentines often spell it “Malbeck” and make wines from it that are slightly similar in flavor to those made in Europe, but with softer, lusher structure, more like New World Merlot. Another difference is that where French examples are usually considered short-lived, Argentine Malbecs seem to age fairly well. Successful Argentine Malbec growers claim that, in order to develop full maturity and distinction, Malbec needs “hang time” even after sugar levels indicate ripeness. Otherwise, immature Malbec can be very “green” tasting, without its characteristic notes of plum and anise. Malbec in Argentina has come to be appreciated for a spicy white pepper characteristic, the aroma of violets, and sweet, jammy fruit. It is a seductive wine that is typically warm and generous in the mouth, with plenty of flesh, and very appealing when young. Almost always producing a ripe and fruity, even plummy wine, Malbec can take oak aging or show well without it; it’s juicy and quaffable when young but can benefit from aging, developing an intriguing complexity with time in the bottle. It can range in price from as little as $7 to more than $75. The true potential of Argentine Malbec, and indeed in the entire spectrum of Argentine wines, is demonstrated by the fact that many of the world’s most renowned winemakers have come to Argentina to make wine. Both the legendary California winemaker Paul Hobbs, and Michel Rolland of Bordeaux, one of the world’s most famous winemakers, have created very high-end Malbecs. It may be the Italian component in the country’s mixed Latin family tree that fosters the fact that Malbec is an exceptional companion with a broad range of food. Its well-balanced fruit-and-acid profile makes it a natural with rare beef (bear in mind that Argentina is cattle country), but it’s just as good with simple fare from burgers to fried chicken. Because if its balance and fruit, good pairings include cajun cuisine, calzones, cannelloni with meat, poultry, vegetable couscous, steak creole, Greek cuisine, deviled eggs, hummus, Indian cuisine, leg of lamb, Mexican cuisine with meat and chicken, pâté, spinach soufflé, and pasta. For cheeses, think of harder styles that are either waxed or oiled, such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Ricotta Salata, Romano, Asiago, Pont l’Eveque, Gruyere, Manchego, Cantal, Comte, old Gouda, old Cheddar, Baulderstone, Beaufort, Leicester, aged Chesire, Chevre Noir, Wensleydale, Tilsit, Iberico, Mahon, Roncal, and Mizithra. Wines of Argentina Argentina has been making wine since the 1500s, tracing its wine heritage back to Spain, France and, perhaps surprisingly, Italy. Italian immigration is second only to Spanish in Argentine culture, and the flavors of Italy show up strongly in the nation’s wine, food and cultural tradition. Historically, Argentina has kept much of its wine consumption at home, drinking most of the wine it makes. But we are now seeing more very serious Argentine wines north of the border, and Malbec is leading the movement. The wine-making region in Argentina ranges between the 22° and 42° South latitude. It spreads at the foothills of the Andean mountain range along over 2,400 km; from the province of Salta to the province of Río Negro, with a variety of climates and soils that makes each region a unique land. In general terms, the areas dedicated to vine cultivation are dry and arid with a low level of rain and humidity, determining factor as regards grape health. Abundant sunny days and thermal amplitude favor a good maturity and concentration of aroma and color in the grain. Soils are deep, permeable and poor in organic matter, decisive qualities at the time of obtaining good wine. Due to the low rain regime, irrigation is necessary. Water comes from the Andean range thaw, descending in the shape of rivers to become channels or ditches. Undoubtedly, the combination of these factors turns Argentina into a veritable oasis for the highest quality wine-making. Nevertheless, there is still a long way to go. Wine-making in Argentina, at the level that it achieves today, has a young history that goes back to a little more than 10 years ago. Technological progress, investment and some farsighted businessmen enabled a determining transformation. The province of Mendoza is the most traditional area in the viticultural industry, and is diverse enough to be divided into zones, according to their significantly different weather, height and soil characteristics. These include the Northern Zone, which is suitable for fruity whites and young reds, at a height from 600 to 700m; the Eastern Zone, with a height ranging from 600 to 700m, and the most productive zone in the province; the Uco Valley, a zone of colder weather and higher altitudes (between 800 and 1,400m over sea level); San Rafael, with heights ranging from 450 to 800m; and the High Zone of the Mendoza River, with heights ranging from 800 to 1,100m over sea level and various microclimates, this is the zone where almost all noble varieties have easily become adapted. It is a region that is remarkably well-suited to vine culture, protected from the Pacific’s cooling influence by the Andes and enjoying a long summer of cool nights and warm days, with a dry summer climate but plenty of water available from the region’s rivers. Malbec in particular is outstanding from this area, and it has clearly emerged as the star, the darling of both consumers and critics. Wines of Mendoza Argentine Malbec Producers |
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