Catena Zapata Alta Malbec 2020
An assemblage of historic vineyard rows, blended the way a composer layers instruments into a symphony.
Grape Varietals & Region: Catena Alta Malbec is an assemblage of historic rows within the Catena family’s Mendoza, Argentina estate vineyards. The blend of these rows yields a highly aromatic, elegant wine that speaks for the earth and the vines four generations of Catenas have tended. Catena Alta wines can usually be drunk starting three years after harvest and on into the following one to two decades.
Taste Profile: Elegant, aromatic notes of blackberry, raspberry and flowers, with licorice elements and a touch of leather. Rich on the palate, with soft, sweet tannins and a silky-smooth structure. Multiple complex layers of rich cassis and blackcurrant interweave with hints of black pepper, closing on a lengthy finish marked by wonderful minerality, finely grained tannins and lively acidity.
Winemaking Process: Vineyard lots are harvested at different times to ensure optimal natural acidity and moderate alcohol levels. Whole berries are hand-loaded into small-format fermentation bins and 225500L barrels, with each vineyard lot treated individually; fermentation and cold maceration last 2830 days, using wild yeasts. Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation both take place in barrel, with active btonnage protecting the wine and drastically reducing the SO2 needed. The wine ages 18 months in French oak.
Winemaker: Catena Zapata is tended by four generations of the Catena family, whose historic vineyard rows anchor both this wine and the family’s broader Mendoza estate. “Alta” Spanish for “high” nods both to the high-altitude vineyards the fruit is drawn from and to the top-tier wines the family built its reputation making from them, blending selected historic rows the way a composer layers instruments into a symphony.
