Alta Malbec 2021

CATENA

Alta Malbec
2021

  • Sustainable
  • Vegan
Product code
521849
Format
6 x 750ml
Listing type
Open
Status
Available
Type of product
Still wine
Country
Argentina
Regulated designation
Dénomination origine (DOC)
Region
Mendoza
Varietal(s)
Malbec 100 %
Colour
Red
Sugar
Dry
Closure type
Cork
Producer's website

About this winery

At heart, Catena is a story about family. Family who poured their lives, passion, and spirit into transforming scrub-laden desert into some of the most beautiful and unique vineyards in the world. Family that passed their knowledge from generation to generation, blending collective memory with state-of-the-art science from the new world of viticulture. Family who, through risk-taking, faith, and a little luck, transformed their treasured Mendoza terroir into the fountainhead of the...

See the CATENA detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

Catena Alta is an assemblage of historic rows within the Catena family State vineyards. The blend of these historic rows, like the combination of sounds that create a symphony, gives us highly aromatic and elegant wine that speaks for the terroir and the vines that have been tended by the four generations of the Catena Family. "Alta" means high in Spanish. This makes reference to the high altitude vineyards from where the grapes are sourced, and to the high end wines that are produced with this special grapes.

Production notes

Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. His grandson, Nicolás Catena, is known as the man who revolutionized Argentine wine and introduced high altitude Malbec to the world. The Historic Catena Zapata vineyards are planted with the Catena family’s proprietary selection of malbec plants: the Catena Cuttings. Catena Alta Malbec is sourced from Lot 18 of the Angélica vineyard, Lot 4 of the La Pirámide vineyard, Lot 1 of the Nicasia vineyard, Lot 6 of the Angélica Sur vineyard and Lot 9 of the Adrianna vineyard

Press reviews

Vinous

- 95 points -

February 2024 (Vintage 2021)

The 2021 Malbec Catena Alta comprises 70% sourced from Gualtallary in the Uco Valley and the remaining portion from Luján and Maipú. Aged for up to 18 months in French oak barrels, both new and used, this purple wine reveals aromas of plums and cherries alongside hints of lavender and violets, all atop a subtle cedar layer. Dry and juicy, the supple and velvety tannins are complemented by a nimble flow, resulting in a mildly structured red with a flavorful, lasting finish. If there is a key in Mendoza Malbec, meaning piecing together terroirs to enhance complexity, this bottle might be the example.

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James Suckling

- 94 points -

May 2024 (Vintage 2021)

Fresh blue fruit with dried herbs, ripe stems and white pepper. Very juicy, fresh and fine-grained on the palate with a medium body and a crunchy, fluid finish. Quite long

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Wine Spectator

- 92 points -

November 2024 (Vintage 2021)

A fresh and ready-to-drink version, with a mélange of dried hibiscus, orange peel and red currant folding over onto the smooth-textured palate. Abundant spice details add to the berry preserve flavors, and a twinge of crunchy acidity chimes in to drive the finish. Offers nice length, suggesting the possibility of short-term cellaring.

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