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WINES OF ARGENTINA
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Catena Zapata
The Catena Zapata family’s mission is to make profound and unforgettable wines; wines that reflect the
special character of each vine within the family’s historic vineyards. Constantly pushing the viticultural
envelope, Nicolás and Laura Catena have identified Mendoza’s best microclimates, selected the highest-
quality Malbec vines, and pioneered viticulture in undiscovered regions, such as the Adrianna Vineyard at
4,757 feet in the Andean foothills. Nicolás Catena made a selection of 145 different plants (known as the
Catena Cuttings) from Lot 18 of the Angélica Vineyard and planted them one per row in the La Pirámide
Vineyard. Then he selected the five cuttings with the smallest berries, most even sets and smallest bunches
that were naturally low-yielding. He planted the five cuttings 5, 75, 99, 100 and 115, in every one of the Catena
Family vineyards. Their vision has been to uncover those magical places in each of the family’s vineyards
that offer the purest expression of the land. Farming these special rows manually and hand-tending each
of the vines has led to the identification of individual plants that consistently produce the most exceptional
fruit. These Zapata Vines have been physically marked with a red sash, ensuring the utmost attention and
care. Harvested separately in multiple passes through the vineyard, the Zapata Vines form the foundation
of the Catena Zapata wines.
Nicolás Catena Zapata
The inaugural 1997 vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon (95 percent) and Malbec (5 percent) blend set
a new standard of quality for wines from South America when it won a series of blind tastings against
first growths and other prestigious cuvées from around the world. Nicolás Catena Zapata is made from
a plant-by-plant selection of historic rows in the Catena Zapata vineyards, the blend changes with each
vintage but is predominately Cabernet Sauvignon with Malbec. Nicolás Catena Zapata has an intense
dark violet color with blue-black tones. A complex wine with delicate aromas of black cherry and licorice,
it is enlivened by minerals, violet, spice, and herbs. The palate is sharply delineated and impressively
concentrated, with a serious backbone supporting its fresh currant and mineral flavors. The wine is made
from over two hundred separate row microvinifications representing different rows, altitudes and harvest
times. The fermentation temperature is kept low, extracting intense aromas, and the cap management is
done by hand to ensure soft, gentle flavors and tannin extraction. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation
in barrel leaves considerable lees and sediment. The wine is aged in French oak barrels for twenty-four
months, and spends an additional twenty-four months in bottle before release.
2012:
97 JS |
2011:
96 TA |
2010:
95 WA |
2009:
95 WA |
2008:
98 WA |
2007:
98 WA |
2006:
97 WA |
2005:
98 WA |
2004:
98+ WA |
2002:
93+ V |
2001:
94 WA |
1999:
94 WA |
1997:
95 WA