Berry Bros – New Release: 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata – Argentina’s Most Important Wine
I am pleased to offer you the excellent 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata, the latest vintage of this iconic Argentine wine.
Catena Zapata was established in 1902 by Nicola Catena, just four years after arriving in Argentina from Italy. He left Europe for a land that was promised to be bountiful in opportunity and was full of optimism for the life that lay ahead. Nicola suspected that Mendoza and the cool, clear air of the Andes would provide the perfect climate for Malbec, until then used as little more than a blending grape in the production of red Bordeaux. Thus, he planted his first vineyard with Malbec in the region, a decision that would not come to full fruition until nearly a century later.
Over the following half a century, Nicola and his son Domingo built the business into one of the largest vineyard holdings in Mendoza, but this would all unravel in the 1960s when economic and political turmoil in Argentina caused major issues. Inflation meant that in one vintage, it would cost Domingo more to harvest the vineyards than he would make from the wine produced.
Although the years of instability continued, it was third generation Nicolás Catena who helped shape fine wine production in Argentina. With the understanding that he would need to cultivate vines at the very limits of the region, Nicolás purchased vineyards in Gualtallary Alto, the highest and westernmost spot in Tupungato at 5000 ft. He would later name this vineyard Adrianna, after his youngest daughter.
First produced in 1997, Nicolás Catena Zapata became the first luxury cuvée from Argentina to be exported internationally. Produced from ungrafted and pre-phylloxera Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec from the Adrianna and Nicasia Cru, the wine is intended to emulate the traditional Bordeaux blends of the 18th and 19th centuries, when Malbec played a more important role than Merlot.
Harvesting is carried out entirely by hand and a large proportion of the grapes are fermented as whole bunches to help pinpoint the freshness that the altitude brings. The wine then undergoes 18 months of ageing in French oak.
“Nicolás Catena Zapata is justly credited with putting Argentinean wines on the world map—by the best expedient of focusing entirely on quality. It’s great to know he has started a wine dynasty, too.” Jancis Robinson MW
This is truly one of the most important wines to come out of Argentina and has certainly helped in putting premium Argentinean wines firmly on the map. The 2018 is shaping up to be a superb vintage for this great wine.
2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata
£390 per 6 bottle case in bond
“Intense fresh bramble, rosemary and violets are to the fore on the nose but the wine opens up to reveal cassis, cedar and leather. It seems to initially hold back on the palate too, but then evolves and delivers the blackcurrant intensity you were expecting. There is plenty of structure to support all the fruit with fine tannins and refreshing acidity keeping everything perfectly balanced. I would hold a year or two but I see a long and interesting life ahead. Drink 2023 to 2035.”
James Belok, Private Account Manager
“Aromas of blackberries, grilled meat, blackcurrants and wet earth. Full-bodied, tight and compact with dense dark berries and currants. Linear and long with a tight, focused palate. A blend of cabernet sauvignon and malbec. Drink after 2022.”
96/100. James Suckling
“A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec (35%) made from 210 micro-productions whose end result is approved by Nicolás Catena. A kind of summation of a long history, the grapes come from specific parcels of vineyards that Catena planted in the Uco Valley and Luján. The results are breathtaking. Purple in the glass with garnet flecks, this wine delivers layers of aroma, beginning with black currant and moving on to intense, precise notes of lavender and mint along with hints of black tea, sage and cigar box. In the mouth, austerity vies for supremacy with sheer power, a balance overseen by polished, grippy tannins placed into relief by a well-judged freshness that keeps the whole package light on its feet. This is a wine of tension foregrounded by the blend: the Malbec smooths out the Cabernet Sauvignon, which in turn brings energy to a red with an extremely long finish. Drink 2020-2032”
96/100. Joaquín Hidalgo, Vinous
“The 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gualtallary (Adrianna vineyard, with the Cabernet Sauvignon interplanted with some Cabernet Franc) and 35% Malbec from Altamira (Nicasia vineyard). They no longer use grapes from Agrelo, and this is also a lot higher in Malbec than in other recent vintages. So, it has a very different profile, a change that started in 2017, with more contained ripeness and more freshness, and the wine is intense, keeping some of the Cabernet character (tobacco, blackberries) and the floral notes from Malbec. It comes through as balanced and harmonious, with very fine tannins and a long finish and perfect ripeness. This aims to revive the style of Bordeaux before phylloxera, from massal selection of ungrafted vines… 62,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019. Drink 2021-2028”
96/100. Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
