93pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The pale and delicious 2019 Appellation Lunlunta Malbec is expressive and floral and really thriving in this cool vintage. This is fresh and ethereal, a lot fresher than the traditional Malbecs from the zone. It's juicy with velvety tannins and vibrant acidity. 330,000 bottles produced. Volumes have grown in this range but the quality remains. The Appellation range delivers excellent value and would be my go-to range for casual quality drinking at incredible prices.
93pts James Suckling
This is extremely perfumed with blackberry and blueberry aromas with some floral and cedar undertones. It’s full-bodied, but shows reserve and focus, with fine tannins. Fresh and bright. Integrated and delicious.
92pts Wine & Spirits
This malbec has a soft minerality, as if to reflect the silty clay soils of Catena’s Lunlunta vineyards. The juice macerates on the skins for ten days after fermentation, giving the wine a chewy cherry skin character that holds on in the mouth for a long time, suggesting that this rich, plush style has plenty of gas in the tank for aging. It’s almost pop-art in its intensity, with the contrast cranked up.
91pts Vinous
A Malbec from Lunlunta, a historic terroir on the north shore of the Mendoza River, aged for 12 months in 35% new French barrels. On a nose of red and black fruit, a woody flourish brings complexity. The terroir makes itself felt in the mouth with a tight profile of tannins and a slightly austere, skinny feel for the grape. Pure flavor.
91pts Descorchados
Just north of the Mendoza River, on that alluvial terrace with sand and gravel soils, Lunlunta is a traditional source of malbec in Mendoza, whose style is related to pleasing reds with ripe fruit flavors and soft tannins. A personality tempered by the sun of that rural town. This Appellation is a little portrait of that place, with its sweet red fruits, the soft, creamy tannins, the slightly herbal finish.
90pts Wine Spectator
Well-structured, with a spicy aroma that shows dried beef notes, which lead into a dense and compact blend of dried berry and cherry compote flavors. Opens up on the finish with lithe minerality and gunflint accents.
Winemaker Notes
The Lunlunta shows a deep violet color with purple reflections. The nose offers concentrated aromas of ripe red and dark fruits with traces of vanilla and mocha. The mouthfeel is rich and concentrated, with blueberries and blackberries notes and a touch of leather and cinnamon. The finish presents well integrated supple tannins with a flinty minerality that gives the wine exceptional length.
The Catena Lunlunta perfectly pairs with smoked meats and cheeses and equally well with braises, roasts or grilled meats and fowl. Perfect for a light dinner or a substantial meal, it is an extremely versatile wine that can be enjoyed with or without food.