- 98 points -

The flagship, the 2007 Nicolas Catena Zapata, a blend of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, and the balance Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. It delivers an enthralling aromatic array of pain grille, pencil lead, mineral, espresso, mocha, incense, lavender, black currant, black cherry, and blackberry. This leads to a full-bodied, powerful yet elegant effort with great depth and volume, precision balance, and a voluptuous personality (a D-cup of a wine). It conceals plenty of structure and will effortlessly evolve for 6-8 years, drinking well through 2032 if not longer.

- 98 points -

This has a complex nose of baked blackberries, grilled plums, dried earth, moss, pine cones, sandalwood, charcoal and cloves. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Wow. So much going on. Layered, seamless and silky. Incredible length. Keeps going. 42% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec and 28% cabernet franc.

- 98 points -

#12 Top 100 Wines of Argentina

Cassis, tobacco, wet stones, iron and baking spices to the nose, showing class, restraint and complexity. Medium- to full-bodied on the palate with super fine tannins. Dry, super elegant and silky with a lengthy, polished finish. Really Bordeaux-like. Juicy and long. 54% cabernet sauvignon from Gualtallary, 25% cabernet franc from Altamira and 21% malbec from both areas. The highest portion of cabernet franc this year helped retain its nervy freshness! This is classy and beautiful. Harvested on March 12th and 13th.

- 97 points -

Sweet tobacco, cigar box, berries and minerals. It gets a little zesty and citrusy on the nose. Really refined and juicy on the palate with lot of fine tannins. Silky, fluid and linear with a very elegant, soft-spoken finish. 46% cabernet sauvignon from Adrianna vineyard and 44% malbec and 10% cabernet franc from Nicasia vineyard. Really refined, long and Bordelais. This is already drinking really well, but it will hold like this for a long time.

- 97 points -

Fernando Buscema picked the components of Nicolás three weeks early to preserve acidity in 2020. The result is a brilliant release of this iconic red, made with Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and a lowest ever 21% Malbec. Fine, detailed and ethereal, it has graphite and blackcurrant leaf aromas, cassis and blueberry fruit, subtle cigar box oak and remarkable palate length.

- 96 points -

Nicolás is a finely crafted blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc from Fernando Buscema, showcasing the contrasting terroirs of Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira. Appealingly international in style, it has lovely cigar box and coffee bean oak, layers of mint, violet and tarragon, granular, fine-boned tannins and harmonious chocolate, blackberry and blackcurrant leaf flavours.

- 95 points -

Loads of licorice and currants with a smoky, chocolate and coffee undertone. Aniseed, too. Sweet tobacco. It’s medium-to full-bodied with creamy tannins and a soft finish. It’s totally resolved and delicious now, in a bigger style. 78% cabernet sauvignon and 22% malbec.

- 95 points -

2020 was a very dry and low-yielding year, with 20% to 30% less crop, and the grapes were picked early. The 2020 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with a blend of 54% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Cabernet Franc and 21% Malbec, higher in Franc than ever, for the first time more than Malbec, to compensate the warm and dry conditions. The wine is ripe and very peppery, with 13.9% alcohol and a pH of 3.64. It matured in new and second-use French oak barrels for 18 months. It was a healthy crop with concentration and ripeness, and the wine comes through as powerful and quite classical, still a little oaky, with power and balance.

- 94 points -

Richly scented on the nose. Concentrated and full on the palate, a serious wine with intention. Driving flavours of blackcurrant and black cherry with cinnamon spice and mineral saltiness abound on the palate with a touch of sweetness. Tannins are ripe and massy, plush and gently chewy but this has exceptional freshness that keeps the whole palate quite lifted and alive. Feels well worked and there is a sense of serious style to this. I like the expression - lovely nuance and finesse, the details are so appealing. Enjoy with some hearty food.

- 94 points -

A ripe, modern success with everything a fan of New World reds might want. The nose is floral and beautiful, with fine oak scents supporting brilliant raspberry, plum and spice aromas. It's deep, smooth and pressing in the mouth, with a delicious set of blackberry, coconut, vanilla and creamy flavors

- 92 points -

Rich and showy, with lots of licorice snap, plum sauce, graphite, boysenberry and milk chocolate notes all carried by rich, velvety tannins. The long, fleshy finish is very accessible. Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2011. 990 cases imported.

98+ points

Catena Zapata’s flagship is the Nicolas Catena Zapata, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend. The 2004 Nicolas Catena Zapata is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Malbec. It spent 18 months in 100% new French oak. A saturated black purple in color, it has an aristocratic perfume of pain grille, mineral, espresso, saddle leather, cassis, black currant, and black raspberry. Opulently textured, complex, ripe, and sweet on the palate, it maintains a sense of elegance as well as power. It demands 10-15 years of further cellaring and should still be providing pleasure at age 50. It strikes me as being Argentina’s equivalent of a great vintage of Lafite-Rothschild.