99pts James Suckling
This is made from over 100-year-old vineyards and offers blackberries with blue fruit and dark chocolate. Shows bark and black truffle undertones, too. Tight and more focused than in past vintages. The quality of the tannins is more precise and fine. Blackberries and black truffles at the end. Drink or hold.
98pts Wilfred Wong
The 2019 Catena Zapata Argentino Vineyard Malbec is outstanding from start to finish. This wine comes through with aromas and flavors of powerful black fruit and hints of minerality. Enjoy this with a grilled, bone-in ribeye.
96pts Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
It feels like there was a big change in the 2019 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino, a year with a vibrant palate and very clean and focused aromas and flavors. They fine-tuned the irrigation and viticulture, and that seems to have increased the precision of the wine. They also did a selection and left the grapes from the borders of the vineyard, which were affected by the paths and other stuff. It’s still a little more voluptuous than the wines from Gualtallary, as this mixes grapes from Angélica (Lunlunta) and Nicasia (Altamira). It’s nicely textured and tasty, medium-bodied and with a vibrant finish.
94pts Wine & Spirits
A blend of malbec from two vineyards above 3,000 feet of elevation in La Consulta and Lunlunta, this wine’s suave texture is deepened and lengthened by 18 months in new French oak barrels, adding some vanilla flair to the finish. Vigil fermented it with 20 percent of the whole bunches, structuring the sun-ripened black raspberry flavors and rich layers of blueberry complexity. Air brings out the fresher aspects of the wine, hinting at years of development ahead.
93pts Wine Spectator
A rich and concentrated version, with a note of molasses to the blackberry, pomegranate and plum, with roasted espresso, peppercorn and savory elements folding in around a firm grip of tannins and a note of dark chocolate. Very complete. Drink now
Winemaker Notes
The Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino shows a saturated dark violet color with ruby reflections; the nose offers cassis, blueberries and violets, along with a strong suggestion of soil tones. It combines density and sweetness on the one hand, with gripping, lightly saline flavors of mocha, dark berries, spice, and minerals; a palate-staining finish dominated by sweet black and blue fruits.
Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino is made from a meticulous vine selection in the best lots of the Catena family’s estate vineyards. These Zapata vines are carefully hand tended and produce extremely low yields. The grapes are micro-fermented in new French oak barriques and the wine is then aged for 24 months in new French oak. This wine is made in very limited quantities.
Pairs well with lamb chops, beef tenderloin, and goat cheese.