September 9, 2016 - Rich, tasty cab w/decent length and good mid palate of polished tannins and ripe black fruits. OK value.
December 23, 2013 - Very dark. Dark berry, pepper and vegetal notes like black tea. Impressively smooth and velvety. I believe this has substantial "dry extract". Excellent.
October 16, 2013 - Seattle Wine Group - Oct 2013 Tasting - Theme: Southern Hemisphere Reds (Amaroso Room - Wine Storage Bellevue): Cabernet/Malbec – Argentina/Mendoza
Setting: Bottle “D” in the blind tasting. Notes were taken before I knew the wine identity.
Sight: This wine is bright; No evidence of gas or particles. Color is dark violet at the core with very little color variation or fading to the meniscus. Deep concentration of color. Legs are medium and move slowly down the glass.
Nose: This wine does not smell flawed. Strong intensity. Primary fruit aromas of blue and black fruit, mainly black cherry. The wine has secondary notes of dark chocolate, licorice, violet, pepper, and some herbs. Strong oak on this wine, but it was mature and unobtrusive. I do not pick up any heat on the nose. This wine smells very ripe, suggest is a bit young.
Palate: This wine is medium bodied and a bit lush in the mouth. Primary fruit flavors of currants. Secondary vegetal and brambly notes. Lots of mineral flavor. Tannins are unobtrusive.
Structure: This wine is dry. Acid is medium. Alcohol is medium.
Tannins are medium, but well integrated to feel almost low. Finish is medium. Complexity is low to medium.
Conclusion: My guess is this is an Aussie Shiraz from a good quality producer. There are strong Cab Sauvignon indicators, but the fruit forward pepper leads me more towards the Shiraz. The wine is well balanced, but the complexity is a bit low.
Final thoughts: This was a nice bottle of wine. It had a nice structure, good mouthfeel, wonderful nose, and a decent finish. The only downside was it just flowed from start to finish without any changes or wow factors. It was sort of “just there.” Still, it was well made, enjoyable wine. This wine was a close second for me in the rankings behind bottle “A.” The rest of the guys, collectively, voted it #2 as well, but the votes were a bit more scattered.
My Ranking: 2nd out of 6 bottles (Flawed bottle not included)
Group Ranking: 2nd out of 6 bottles (Flawed bottle not included)
February 1, 2013 - Made in a fruit forward style, the 2008 Catena Alta Cabernet drinks perfectly now. It reveals classy cool dark fruit combined with subtle earthiness. The palate is nicely balanced and even though the different components are not fully integrated, the balance is striking. After a few hours in the glass, the wine more and more behaves like a Rhône wine with powerful dark fruit and black pepper emerging. This is very strange and not something I would expect. It is not negative, just unexpected. A nice acquaintance worth trying.
November 6, 2012 - Appearance: Bright and clear, deep purple in color, with paler tinge and legs.
Nose: Clean, medium intensity, with developing aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, liquorice, cedar, tobacco, vanilla and savory.
Palate: Dry with medium and lively acidity, medium (+) tannin of ripe and dusty texture, the wine has medium (+) alcohol and medium (+) body, showing medium intensity flavors of blackcurrant, blackberry, prune, tobacco and liquorice, finishing with medium length.
Conclusion: Good quality high-priced Argentina Cabernet Sauvignon with a reasonably intense and complex nose, showing typical ripe black fruit, with some oak and a bit of development characters, it is a powerful wine with fairly strong tannin and full-bodied, a reasonably intense and complex palate, finishing with a reasonable length. Overall well balanced and in firm structure, this wine is ready to drink now but has potential for ageing of another 6-8 years.
October 29, 2012 - (tasted twice) strong deep red color, elegant bouquet of ripe berries with plum and toasted oak, with a lively entry and soft round tannins, full body with sweet notes and hint of tobacco with medium finish (Costco). Compared to Tikal, Catena Alta has a more consistent and hedonistic nose throughout, yet the rest of the wine is identical save for some varietal differences.
October 19, 2012 - One of the Best Cabernets from Argentina
April 3, 2012 - Drank at the winery. Good balance, softened tannins, berry. Not the greatest value.
December 12, 2011 - Bodegas Catena Zapata (Mendoza): Here we go, the green pepper, and stalky, almost resinous fruit, and toasted oak galore. Hmmm… I wish I could say it could do with further cellaring but I'm not sure.