Wines (12 View)

91 pts Vinous
Achaval Ferrer's 2018 Blend Quimera is a blend of 60% Malbec, 18% Cabernet Sauvignon, 12% Cabernet Franc, and 10% Merlot from the Uco Valley and Luján de Cuyo. A complex Bordeaux style blend, each variety makes a contribution resulting in a ripe nose with fruit, herbal and balsamic aromas and a terse feel in the mouth with finely grained, rounded tannins, good grip, freshness and juice. The flavors are intense, but the structure veers on overbearing.

90+ points Wine Advocate
The 2021 Malbec offers varietal and regional typicity at a very affordable price. There are violets, berries and a touch of sweet spices with a juicy and round palate with almost unnoticeable tannins.

90 points James Suckling
Nice sour cherries with a streak of white pepper and violets. Medium-bodied, but fleshy. Ripe, almost creamy tannins extend to the finish, but are still juicy and vibrant. Not complex, but so balanced and easy to drink. Drink now.

90 points James Suckling
A round, juicy red with plum, chocolate and berry aromas and flavors. Chewy, yet caressing with a long, flavorful finish. Hints of biscuits and balsamic. Drink now

92 pts Vinous
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.

93 points Wine Advocate
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 ripenessin fact, it's a little lower in alcohol than the 2019a medium body and fine-grained tannins, with good grip.


92 points Vinous
I devoted nearly a full day to tasting at the Catena Zapata winery in Agrelo as Argentina’s #1 producer offers excellent to otherworldly wines at a range of price points-and that’s not even including the superb wines made by Nicolas Catena’s daughter Laura and son Ernesto, and the Bodega Aleanna label of his own multi-talented winemaker Alejandro Vigil. - From Argentina’s Wines Enter the World Stage (Jul 2018) by Stephen Tanzer

94 points James Suckling
An alluring array of ripe red-berry and plum aromas with a floral, violet-like edge and appealing oak influence, too. The palate has a very plush, open feel with medium body and a fresh, juicy finish. Poached red-berry finish. So charming. Discreetly brilliant blending at work here. A blend of malbec 75% bonarda 19% and petit verdot 6%. Drink now.

91+ points Wine Advocate
The subtle, balanced and elegant 2019 DV Catena Tinto Histórico was produced with a blend of 75% Malbec, 19% Bonarda and 6% Petit Verdot, and each grape seems to contribute nicely to the blend, making it balanced, harmonious and complex and especially very likeable and drinkable. It has moderate alcohol, round tannins and a lively and fresh mouthfeel. 117,600 bottles produced. It was bottled in June 2020.

91 points Vinous
A blend of 75% Malbec, 19% Bonarda, and 6% Petit Verdot from different terroirs - Valle de Uco, Luján de Cuyo and Rivadavia - aged for 12 months in barrels used in varying amounts in different locations, this is a red that evokes the profile of another time, hence the name. The nose presents sweet and sour cherry and plum followed, by an indulgent expression and fleshy mouthfeel wrapped in a fresh coating. The tannins come out at the end, tightening things up without going too far. For classic tastes.

92 points Wine Advocate
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.

#53 on The Wine Spectator's Top 100 Wines of 2021.

90 pts Wine Spectator
Dense and powerful, with plenty of loamy notes to the dark cherry and roasted plum flavors that show creamy accents. Ends with dark chocolate on the finish. Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. Drink now through 2024

Organic

Aged in French and American oak for 6 months and then 4 months in bottle.