- 97 points -

Few red wines can rival grand Argentinian Malbec for drama and grandeur, and this version from the Altamira zone of La Consulta (in the Uco Valley) stood out even amongst its dramatic, strikingly profiled peers. It is jet black, just shot with purple at the rim. Soaringly expressive Malbec rose and tea leaf lifts from the glass with enviable purity, without a trace of distorting oak. In the mouth, it is deep and long: an arrow of fruit yet elegant, deftly textured with a snow of fine tannins, and devoid of alcoholic heat or intrusive, strenuous acidity. A sumptuous, haute-couture Malbec where the vineyard’s untrammeled fruit and inner radiance has been given voice.
 

- 97 points -

A mixture of black and blue fruit, very perfumed and elegant. Cherries, plums and blueberries with a peppery undertone. Crushed violets, too. Bone-dry on the palate with abundant, silky tannins and a juicy, lengthy finish.

- 97 points -

“A singular wine that offers the best of Malbec and Paraje Altamira, this was crafted in a pristinely aged style. Balance is the word.”

The 2021 Malbec Nicasia Vineyard originates from a small plot nestled within Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley. It was aged up to 16 months in concrete vats and foudres and boasts a deep purple color. The complex nose unveils layers of crushed plums, blueberries, herbs, curry, lavender and graphite. Initially dry and plush, the palate transitions into a taut, chalky, overwhelming, and juicy texture, as if embodying structure and suppleness. This unique and flavorful Malbec offers a high-pitched intensity of flavor that lingers, showcasing a prolonged focus on the fruit.

- 96 points -

The Nicasia Vineyard is located in Paraje Altamira and was planted in 1996. The grapes are from Lot 1 and fermented in foudres with whole bunches, then aged for 24 months in French barrels before being kept for a further 24 months. The involved process explains its charm. A perfumed red with a nose of herbal and lavender notes at first followed by sage and violet as part of a reductive approach that gives way to no-nonsense sour cherry. In the mouth, it delivers everything you could want: juicy and expressive, gentle but powerful with hints of chalk wrapped in a slightly fleshy feel and enlivened by just enough acid. A finely tuned mechanism full of fascinatingly subtle gears and clockwork.

- 96 points -

This is rich and decadent with crushed berries, light chocolate, meat and blueberries. Full body, polished and chewy tannins and an extremely long, flavourful finish. Fresh and beautiful. Love the coolness to the flavours here.

- 96 points -

A complex, layered malbec that shows a touch of white pepper and cigar box. Blackberries, chiles, chocolate and fine spices. Really juicy and compact, but nothing hefty. Quintessential flavors with dusty tannins that keep growing.

- 96 points -

The Catena Zapata range comprises some single-vineyard wines, like the 2014 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard that comes from a plot of ungrafted vines planted in Altamira in 1996 using Malbec cuttings from the ancient Angélica vineyard. Cropped from a year that delivered moderate alcohol and notable acidity, it fermented with full clusters in 2,000- and 5,000-liter oak foudres with indigenous yeasts. It matured in French oak barrels for 24 months. This shows superbly and is open and expressive, very classical and elegant, floral and mineral, with no excess whatsoever. The palate reveals superb balance, really harmonious and elegant. This one might be overlooked because there is a lot of attention given to the Malbecs from Adrianna vineyard, but this is really at the same quality level. 12,000 bottles were filled in July 2016.

- 96 points -

The juicy and peachy 2020 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard in Paraje Altamira is the result of a warm year in a warmish place, but the wine shows no excess and comes through as balanced, slightly riper and rounder than the 2019 I tasted next to it but keeping the poise and elegance. It has a medium to full-bodied palate with juicy and abundant tannins.

- 96 points -

The 2020 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard was fermented in barrels, 10% with stems and finished in used foudres. Purple in color. The nose offers notes of violet, lavender, plum and hints of sour cherry followed by aromas from the aging process which enhance the next wave of mint and orange peel. Fluid with gentle, well-polished tannins and a delicate expression, the flow is juicy and expansive before the languorous finish. A well-made wine for 2020.

- 95 points -

Intense nose of blackberries, dark plums, stones, tar, tea leaves and licorice. Full-bodied with firm, focused tannins. Compact and precise. Mineral yet caressing finish. Give this time. A little viognier co-fermented with malbec. Best after 2024.

- 95 points -

The complex violet, clove and savory nose doesn’t leave you in any doubt. The deep and concentrated palate confirms that you’re right. Serious tannins at the long finish, but somehow it manages to be silky.

- 94 points -

In the mid-1990s, Catena began exploring the Uco Valley and interpreting it through malbec. To do this, they used massal selections from its historic Angélica Vineyard, planted in the 1920s on the alluvial terraces of the Mendoza River. Nicasia, in Altamira, comes from that selection and this is their most ambitious wine, which is, in turn, another even more specific selection from certain rows of Lot 1, which yields the most concentrated fruit for a wine of the stature that Nicasia aims for. You'll need to be patient here. In the beginning, it's just a compact block of ripe fruit, but it slowly opens toward notes of flowers and spices that finally evolve into an irresistible nose. The palate is firm in tannins, but with that sweetness of the malbec that makes it very approachable, leaving a juicy sensation. A wine for a long period in the cellar.

- 94 points -

The Nicasia vineyard is not as famous as the Catenas’ Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary, but it can produce wines that are every bit as good. Fermented with 100% whole clusters, this is an engagingly fresh, well-balanced style of Malbec with plenty of stony minerality, subtle wood integration and a macedoine of plum, blueberry and blackberry flavours. Very true to its terroir.

- 93 points -

Offers an alluring entry of loam, wood spice and fresh thyme, while the palate is fresh and enlivened by mineral acidity. Rich and full, with flavors of mocha-accented blackberry and plum that linger nicely around velvety tannins. Drink now through 2032. 950 cases made, 200 cases imported.

- 92 points -

Gamy aromas of berry fruits, leather, latex and mulch are more earthy than fresh. Chewy tannins make the palate rough and rugged, while this single-vineyard Malbec tastes of blackberry, baking spices and smoky barbecued meat. On the finish, this is ripe and tasty but a bit flat. Drink through 2026