Catena Alta Malbec 2018 / 750 ml.

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Item#: 42398
Beautiful blackberries and green tea with some blueberries. Medium body with beautiful balance, freshness and whole-berry sensibility and brightness. Subtle and sophisticated. Drink or hold.
The 2018 Catena Alta Malbec shows more evolution and ripeness than the 2019. It’s varietal and floral with a mixture of red and black fruit, sweet spices and aromatic herbs. It has moderate ripeness — in fact, it’s a little lower in alcohol than the 2019 — a medium body and fine-grained tannins, with good grip. 162,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in October 2019.
A Malbec from Mendoza made from a selection of parcels in different terroirs in Primera Zona and the Uco Valley that spent 18 months in French oak, this is complexity in a bottle. The ripe, layered, evolving nose delivers plum and violet notes followed by a hint of acidic cherry over a woody backdrop. Fleshy on the palate, it offers the good grip and volume typical of Malbec as part of a satisfying combination that also includes a terse texture and juicy freshness.
Well-structured and juicy, with dark cherry and plum tart flavors that feature firm tannins and acidity. The spicy finish offers baker’s chocolate notes and peppery hints. Drink now through 2024. 13,500 cases made, 3,500 cases imported.
This is a selection of individual blocks from the Catena vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. Each block ferments separately on indigenous yeasts, with lees stirring to stabilize it and reduce the addition of sulfur. Eighteen months of oak aging leaves an impression that dampens the finish, but the beginning is spring-like and vivacious, like a meadow in bloom. It’s got the firmness to match up with summer sausage and hard cheeses on a picnic.
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Critical Acclaim
JS95 95 pts. / JamesSuckling.com (Thursday, April 2, 2020)
RP93 93 pts. / Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate (31st Mar 2021)
VN92 92 pts. / Vinous (Oct 2020)
SP91 91 pts. / Wine Spectator (Mar 31, 2022)
WS90 90 pts. / Wine & Spirits (10/21)
Where It's From
Region / Mendoza
Mendoza is Argentina's largest wine region, and produces a majority of the Argentine wines on the market. Much of the region lies in the foothills of the Andes mountains, and as result Mendoza vineyards are typically located at higher altitudes than most. Mendoza is the epicenter of the Malbec craze that has taken the wine world by storm in recent years, but also produces great examples of Cabernet Sauvignon and other grapes.
Country / Argentina
View more wines from Argentina
Argentina took the wine world spotlight in the late 20th century with its plush, smooth Malbec. While the popular red grape still reigns supreme, Argentine wineries are increasingly putting forth excellent examples of multiple varietals, all at the extraordinary bargains that make this region so accessible.
Now the fifth largest wine-producing nation in the world, Argentina enjoys high-altitude and low-humidity vineyard sites, comparatively unencumbered by insects and disease. Argentina’s unique terroir has captured the interest of such internationally celebrated winemakers as Paul Hobbs and Michel Rolland, both of whom have projects in the country.
More Information
SKU | 42398 |
---|---|
Product Type | Wine |
Alternate Name | Catena Alta Malbec |
Country | Argentina |
Region | Mendoza |
Product Location - Location-Appellation | Mendoza |
Package Size | 750 ml. |
Proof/Alcohol by Volume | 14% |
Brand | Catena |
Bottles per Case | 12 |
Vintage | 2018 |
Can it be Shipped | Yes |
Premier Pick | No |
Spec. Designation | Sustainable |
Organic Description | Bodegas de Argentina Certified Sustainability |
Wine Type | Table Wine |
Wine - Color | Red |
Grape(s) | Malbec |
Primary Grape | Malbec |
Dollar Sale (Y/N) | No |
As in 2017, the red 2018 Volare del Camino was produced from two plots in the Gualtallary Monastery, pure Malbec fermented destemmed with indigenous yeasts and matured for 16 months in barrel. This feels like the bigger brother of Inseparable, with a similar profile but a step up in austerity and subtleness, a little more closed and tight but still based on flowers, red fruit and some soil. It has a medium-bodied palate with very fine chalky tannins, a little sharper than those from Inseparable, more textured. This is getting closer to the spirit of Iubileus. This has a very soft extraction. 1,080 bottles were filled unfined and unfiltered in October 2019. In the next vintage, this wine will be put into a Burgundy bottle because they feel the soil from Volare with higher limestone content has a more Burgundian profile. (Luis Gutiérrez)
Primary Grape: Malbec
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The limestone starts in the Reserva/Reserve range, of which I tasted the 2018 Malbec Reserve, which is produced from vineyards on limestone soils in Altamira and Gualtallary. This is incredibly elegant, floral and expressive, with superb minerality on the palate. It has fine-grained tannins and is silky, tasty, long and expressive. Superb! This wine is all about texture, and it’s the best reserve I ever remember.
Alberto Antonini and Antonio Morescalchi began this project after a visit to Mendoza in the mid-1990s, now working with wine geologist Pedro Parra and winemaker Attilio Pagli. This malbec has a balance of weight and freshness, transitioning into blueberry flavors and violet florals in the middle. It’s lean and clean, with an earthy softness at the end.
Primary Grape: Malbec
Only $24.29 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
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A tight, focused red with dark-plum and hazelnut character. Citrus, too. Medium to full body. Bright finish. Shows refined tension and beauty. Drink or hold.
I find a very nicely crafted and harmonious wine in the 2018 Malbec Remolinos Vineyard, a red with a fruit-driven nose full of violets, berries, good freshness and elegance. The palate is very balanced and fresh with no edges. It is simply delicious. They produced 300,000 bottles of this.
Only $17.99 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
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The 2018 Privada Family Blend Norton is a blend of 40% Malbec, 30% Merlot, and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon from Luján de Cuyo and was aged for 16 months in French barrels. Dark purple in the glass, the nose offers notes of fresh plum, mint and violets with white pepper and secondary woody notes such as cedar and vanilla. Intense on the palate, it’s juicy with fine, still reactive tannins that will evolve to lend a velvety texture.
The 2018 Privada Family Blend is a blend of 40% Malbec and 30% each Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot from vineyards in Luján de Cuyo. It’s classical, barrel aged and ripe with a dense and juicy texture and plenty of tannins that call for food. It has pungent and deep flavors of ripe fruit and spice and leaves a balsamic sensation on the palate. The tannins are chalky. 250,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.
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Remolinos Vineyard
2018 / 750 ml.
Item #: 46757
This is a firm, structured red that is more about polished tannins than ripe, rich fruit. It’s full-bodied with tightness and focus. Needs time to open. 54% malbec, 21% cabernet sauvignon, 16% petit verdot and 9% tannat. Try after 2023.
Ripe cherry and strawberry aromas with hints of green bell pepper and tobacco show on the nose of this blend of 54% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Petit Verdot and 9% Tannat. It’s full bodied, with smooth tannins. Intense fruit flavors blend with spice. Oaky notes are a bit overpowering but nice acidity helps balance the flavors while freshening up the lingering finish. (Jesica Vargas)
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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. (Luis Gutiérrez)
Only $21.59 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
The 2016 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon was bottled November 2017 and was also available for tasting even though the wine will be released in 2019. It’s a phenomenal effort of freshness, elegance and finesse while being faithful to the variety. Really impressive. 9,600 bottles produced.
Bright ruby-red. Less deep on the nose than the 2015 version but pungent and fresh, with red fruit and spicy red pepper aromas accented by an herbal suggestion of tobacco leaf. Leaner and less sweet than the 2015 but still a bit youthfully tight. With less dimension and depth, the tannins come off as slightly dry. This wine suffers by comparison to many of the current red wine releases from Catena Zapata but it’s still a success in the context of its vintage.
Primary Grape: Cabernet Sauvignon
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The excellent and floral 2019 Catena Malbec shows the typicity of the grape, violets and red berries, and the freshness of the year. It has the textbook aromas and a soft and velvety mouthfeel, with very fine grainy tannins. 2.1 million bottles produced.
A Malbec from Mendoza, made with grapes from the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo, that spent 12 months in French barrels. Purplish red in the glass. The nose features plums and herbs over a faint bed of wood and sweet spices. The soft, terse palate contains muscular, polished tannins that fully occupy the mouth. The freshness is key, bringing life without getting overly tense. A tasty wine.
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Semillón - Chenin
2022 / 750 ml.
Item #: 59615
Medium gold hue with a light honeyed tone with waxed lemon and fine lees. Creamy and round on the medium-bodied palate with fresh, medium acidity. Drink now. (Zekun Shuai)
Only $19.79 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
Lots of spice and hints of dried herbs to the currant and berry aromas. Medium to full body. Firm, lightly chewy tannins and a balanced finish. Drink or hold.
A majority Cabernet Sauvignon with 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot from Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley that spent 12 months in French barrels, resulting in a degree of complexity. The nose offers black currant, blueberry and pepper and a hint of pyrazine, along with sandalwood and incense notes. Juicy with fine, firm tannins that fill up the mouth before the flavorsome finish. (Joaquín Hidalgo)
As with other wines, the 2019 Catena Cabernet Sauvignon feels notably fresher and more vibrant than the wine from the warmer 2020 vintage. In 2019, it was a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot that felt very integrated, with the grapes complementing each other. The palate is medium-bodied with moderate alcohol and notable freshness. The tannins are fine-grained, and the finish is clean, long and fresh. 360,000 bottles produced. (Luis Gutiérrez)
Only $20.69 each when you buy a solid or mixed case
Ripe peach, dried mango, dried jasmine and buttered toast. It’s full-bodied with crisp acidity. Concentrated layers of ripe and dried fruit and a vivid, subtly smoky finish. Drink or hold.
The 2020 Chardonnay Catena is 90% from the Uco Valley, fermented with whole bunches and aged for up to eight months in barrels. Yellow with a golden sheen. The expressive nose presents notes of linden blossom, apple, creamed corn and hazelnuts. In the mouth, it’s unctuous and indulgent but also has decent tension, a terse texture and long-lasting, bold favors. The oak reappears on the rather concentrated aftertaste. (Joaquín Hidalgo)
The medicinal and balsamic 2020 Catena Chardonnay has pungent aromas of bay leaf and white flowers and a dry and balanced palate with some chalky sensations and tasty flavors. It has moderate ripeness for a warm and dry year like 2020 and good freshness. 282,000 bottles produced. It was bottled between October and November 2020. (Luis Gutiérrez)
You save:$3.00 (17%)