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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 89.8 pts. and median of 90 pts. in 82 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 6/23/2019 & rated 91 points: Super Alta. De skal bare ligge min. 10 år (1077 views) | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 6/16/2019 & rated 90 points: Alta skal altså bare ligge længe. Holder flot. (1021 views) | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 3/30/2019 & rated 91 points: Catena Alta skal bare ligge og ligge......2006 dejlig, kan godt ligge 5 år mere. Glæder mig til den næste. (1103 views) | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 4/9/2018 & rated 91 points: stadig meget frisk. Kan stadig ligge nogle år endnu (1655 views) | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 3/31/2018 & rated 91 points: Dejlig frisk Catena Alta. De skal typisk ligge mindst 10 år for at være super. Kan ligge yderligere 5 år. (1594 views) | | | Tasted by gggboss on 5/1/2017 & rated 90 points: Top Catena ,light tanins,evoluid,decanting 1 hr!Very good! (1512 views) | | | Tasted by Thief on 12/4/2016 flawed bottle: Completely corked. Wet cardboard. Bummer (1818 views) | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 9/24/2016 & rated 84 points: ok, lidt bordeaux-agtig men kort eftersmag. (1882 views) | | | Tasted by Hschmitz on 8/25/2016 & rated 88 points: Behagelig vino, men ingen kant. (1520 views) | | | Tasted by Rich.Herbs on 5/4/2016: First glass was OK, with ripe fruit, with some medium acid and light tannin. But the finish was short, and by the second glass, any semblance of balance was gone, with overripe fruit dominating a bland experience. Perhaps I waited too long, but it is probable that the wine was not structured to begin with, unlike many others in its price range. (1913 views) | | | Tasted by Arch57 on 5/4/2016 & rated 93 points: Rather than type a bunch of words on my iPhone I agree 100% with the review by Tannicbeast on this wine! (1348 views) | | | Tasted by Songforblue on 1/19/2016 & rated 93 points: Drink now (1224 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 9/5/2015 & rated 93 points: consistent with notes of 8/30/2014 - peaking now, drink up. (1288 views) | | | Tasted by navybrat on 8/25/2015 & rated 93 points: Still drinking wonderfully. An amazing value. (1239 views) | | | Tasted by TannicBeast on 8/2/2015 & rated 94 points: The promise from five years ago is still there, in the form of a beautifully balanced and integrated New World Cabernet Sauvignon that puts many of its price point peers to shame. Medium (+) ruby with garnet hues on the rim. Clean, developing nose with black fruit and oak-influenced aromas. Blackberries, black plums, black currants with baking spice and toast. The palate is dry, but with rich, sweet fruit. The medium (+) tannins are rounded and well integrated and thus seem a little lighter. The alcohol is medium (+) and seems a little higher than the stated 13.9%. The bright, medium (+) acidity is a pleasant, palate-cleansing surprise which keeps you coming back for more. The palate is consistent with the nose and ends with a medium (+) to long finish with some hints of licorice, chocolate and herbs. This is a nimble, medium (+) to full-bodied wine which is good by itself but shines with a good steak. It is drinking beautifully now but has at least another 2 - 5 years left in its optimal drinking window. It has a great QPR. If drinking it blind I might have thought it a Malbec or a Malbec blend, but it has some subtle clues that bring it back to Cabernet S. (1014 views) | | | Tasted by Rezy13 on 9/9/2014: Tuesday Night Double Blind <$30 (Bin 75): Black, stains the glass, dull reddish rim; dark fruit, some vegetal, autumnal, molasses, rustic, very ripe, almost sun-dried; dark fruit, berry, compact, ashy, still juicy, fruity; Malbec or very good Aglianico; very good. (1729 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 8/30/2014 & rated 93 points: consistent with notes of 5/19/2013 - this wine is holding up very well over time (1674 views) | | | Tasted by andtheodor on 6/8/2014 & rated 91 points: Surprisingly light and fresh cab, nothing heavy or ponderous. Might last, but no reason to wait, IMO. (1959 views) | | | Tasted by navybrat on 5/25/2014 & rated 91 points: This is rounding into a great value and very nice cab. (1667 views) | | | Tasted by spencermerrell@gmail.com on 5/9/2014 & rated 91 points: Decanted for an hour after pouring first through a Venturi. DW and I were very happy with this wine, stand-alone for an at-home movie night. Nothing out of this world, but easily 2 steps above our every-day type wine.
Aging ability probably is 1-2 years, and without a lot of tannin structure I wouldn't expect this to develop too much. Dark berry fruit comes out at once, it is medium fullness, and drinks well. At $40 I agree not good qpr, but at ~$25/bottle I am very happy with how it drinks (1724 views) | | | Tasted by mouton45 on 3/9/2014 & rated 91 points: Cathy's birthday dinner (1527 views) | | | Tasted by spencermerrell@gmail.com on 1/25/2014 & rated 90 points: Drinking nice now, but no hurry on this one. Probably doesn't have much room for improvement, but it's holding together very nicely. (1457 views) | | | Tasted by dchisholm on 7/27/2013: A very flavorful wine, gentle and soft. Aromas of blackberry, chocolate and spice. Taste of blackberry, raspberry, vanilla with gritty, gentle tannins. Served with flank steak, rice and beans. (1471 views) | | | Tasted by danielbleier on 5/19/2013 & rated 93 points: WOTN for the 4 we opened. Big plum and cherry profile, rich and full - complemented with a leather and tobacco finish. Even better than my last bottle of 6/3/2011 (2024 views) | | | Tasted by falp on 5/12/2013 & rated 93 points: excelent!!!! (1858 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Stephen Tanzer
Vinous, January/February 2010, IWC Issue #148
(Bodega Catena Zapata Cabernet Sauvignon Alta Mendoza) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of Vinous. (manage subscription channels) |
| Bodega Catena Zapata Producer website
U.S. Importer (Addt'l Info)
In 1902, Nicola Catena, an Italian immigrant, planted his first vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina. The winery has remained under family control — now in its fourth generation — and is one of the few family-owned wine companies in Argentina that remains in Argentine hands. Owned today by Nicolás Catena and his daughter Laura, Bodega Catena Zapata is known as the pioneer of fine wine from Argentina, and Nicolás is recognized as the vintner who revolutionized wine quality in Argentina. A trained economist, Nicolás began this revolution in the early 1980s and continues to challenge himself and his team to make wines that can be counted among the best in the world. His measured approach to viticulture has taken its place in wine history as the pioneer of Malbec and high-altitude viticulture.
Head winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, has been at Catena Zapata since 2002. A naturally restless person, Alejandro strives to channel his creative energy into pushing the limits of conventional viticultural and winemaking wisdom. Always ready to try something new, full of endless experiments, Alejandro’s goal is to constantly increase his understanding of the unique terroir in Mendoza’s high-altitude desert oasis.
Catena wines, first launched in 1992, set a new standard for quality in South America. The wines immediately proved the quality potential of Argentina and garnered the first outstanding reviews for Argentine wines from worldwide media. After more than 20 years, the wines of Catena continue to lead the way in Argentine viticulture and winemaking. Nicolás Catena Zapata dared to plant vines where no one thought they would ripen. His high-altitude wine revolution culminated in the discovery of a new terroir for wine, the Adrianna Vineyard, at almost 5,000 feet elevation. Today, the team at the Catena Institute of Wine is dedicated to studying every meter, every rock, every insect and microorganism in the Adrianna Vineyard, making it perhaps the most studied vineyard in the world.
Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonArgentina 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.Mendoza Wines of Mendoza |
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