2018 Catena Malbec

Mendoza, Argentina

Wine Advocate 91+ points! James Suckling 94 points!

Catena Malbec is an Argentine red showing off the beauty and complexity of the Malbec grape. In the words of Jay Miller of Wine Advocate, "Catena Zapata is the Argentina winery of reference – the standard of excellence for comparing all others."

The highly acclaimed Catena Zapata winery is still led by the brilliant Nicolas Catena, with his daughter Laura taking on an expanding role. Nicola Catena founded the family winery after sailing from Italy to Argentina in 1898 and planting his first Malbec grapes in 1902. While Malbec was a mere blending grape in Bordeaux, Nicola always believed Malbec could flourish in the Andes and would one day come to rival any first-growth Bordeaux. His son Domingo carried on this dream and ultimately Domingo's son Nicolas fulfilled their quest by producing some of the world's top-rated red wines. One crowning victory came in 2000, when the 1997 Nicolás Catena Zapata, a blend of 95% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec, was compared blind to Château Latour, Haut Brion, Solaia, Caymus and Opus One in a series of tastings across Europe and the US. The Nicolás Catena Zapata 1997 came in either first or second in every tasting!

“2018 seems like a very good year for young and juicy reds, which is what the 2018 Catena Malbec is, a pure varietal that shows the typicity of the grape and the freshness of the year. It has the telltale aromas and the soft and velvety texture of the grape, with nicely integrated oak and a dry, long and pleasant finish. This has mind-boggling quality for the quantity—they produce 2.5 million bottles of it! One to buy by the case.” Drink 2019-2023—Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate, 91+ points!

Enjoy Catena Malbec with grilled steak, roast beef, BBQ ribs, rich vegetable dishes and sharp cheeses.