Malbec Pizzella 2018

LA POSTA

Malbec Pizzella
2018

Country
Argentina
Regulated designation
Geographical Indication (GI)
Region
Valle de Uco
Varietal(s)
Malbec
Colour
Red
Producer's website

About this winery

When Laura Catena decided to create a line of wines of her very own, she made a conscious decision to pay tribute to the traditional, small, family, growers and to a group of special vineyard sites in Mendoza, Argentina. The name La Posta refers to La Posta del Viñotero – ‘the Tavern of the Grape Grower’, found in every local village where farmers go to get their mail after a hard day in the vineyards. There, they meet to drink wine, laugh, and tell stories, agreeing to agree or disagree...

See the LA POSTA detail page for more information on this brand

Product notes

18 year old vines from the La Consulta vineyard in Uco Valley, Mendoza, at an elevation of 3600 ft.

Production notes

Grapes are hand-harvested. Wine is aged 10% in new French oak barrels for 10 months and 30% in 2nd use oak barrels.

Tasting notes

Aromas of black cherries, dark fruits, dark chocolate and baker’s spice. On the palate, the wine shows dense dark berry and plum flavors along with hints of sandalwood and spice, and even a hint of violets in the finish. A full-bodied and well-structured wine that is incredibly full of life and born to be enjoyed with food and friends.

Press reviews

James Suckling

- 93 points -

May 2022 (Vintage 2021)

Blueberries and cherries with walnuts and blackberries, too. Medium body, firm tannins and a creamy texture. Tension and focus. Real malbec character. Excellent price. Sustainable. 

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James Suckling

- 93 points -

March 2019

Nice bitter-chocolate and smoky notes, as well as lots of forest berries, make this generous and well structured malbec a rather complex wine. But the supple tannins are already so well integrated that you can enjoy it right away.

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Descorchados

- 93 points -

June 2018

The Altamira malbecs, especially those from rocky soils, suck as those in the Pizzella Vineyard, tend to give well-structured wines like this one. There are floral notes here-lots of them-along with a healthy does of red fruits and just the right amount of ripeness to be refreshing. This provides a very clear vision of Altamira from a vineyard planted 20 years ago by the Pizellas, a couple of phys-ed teachers from Buenos Aires who got bored of city life and went to live in the country. 

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Descorchados

- 93 points -

2021 (Vintage 2019)

This vineyard from the Pizzella family was planted in the early 2000s. 50% of the wine was aged in barrels of different previous uses, and the other 50% remained in stainless steel for 10 months. The wine has the character of Altamira malbec, especially of the reds that come from stony soils, which offer a rigid, sharp texture and, in this case, are rich in tart red fruits and notes of violets.

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James Suckling

- 93 points -

#88 - 100 BEST WINES UNDER $30

April 2018

Lots of black licorice to this malbec as well as citrus, bark and some moss. Tightly wound with firm tannins, driven acidity and a very minerally finish. 

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Wine Scores

- 92 points -

Daenna Van Mulligen, April 2017

Opulent, generous, energetic. 
The La Posta wines are selections of Laura Catena of Mendoza's famed Bodega Catena Zapata. The new labels on these wines are nothing less than spectacular. 
A generous style of Malbec, as showy as its label, it offers plush vanilla, licorice, allspice, violets, mocha and pipe tobacco, vividly underscored by juicy black raspberries. It is punchy and unapologetic on the palate as well; supple weight, generosity of fruit and warm brown spices mimic the nose. Overall, an opulent, concentrated and energetic style.

Pair: BBQ, meat, portobello burgers, chili-dogs and hard cheeses.

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James Suckling

- 92 points -

June 2017

This is refined and focused with dark fruit and minerals. Tea undertones. Medium to full body, ultra-fine tannins and a beautiful finish. Precise. 

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James Suckling

- 92 points -

April 2021 (Vintage 2020)

Blackberry, currant and violet. It’s medium-to full-bodied with round, lightly chewy tannins. Fleshy texture on the palate with freshness and a silky feel. Juicy, fruity finish with some length. Drink or hold.

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Descorchados

- 92 points -

January 2023 (Vintage 2021)

Of the three Malbecs in La Posta's portfolio, this is the one with the freshest red fruit aromas and flavors, but it has the same pleasant texture as the others, although you may taste a little deeper, boosted by juicy acidity and vibrant, one for grilled meat, this one comes from vineyards above a thousand meters in Altamira.

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Tim Atkin MW

- 91 points -

May 2021

Part of a range that Laura Catena makes in partnership with local growers, this all hails from Paraje Altamira and sees an equal combination of oak barrels (10% of them new) and stainless steel. The toasty wood is quite assertive, but there's enough dark berry fruit, tannin and acidity to soak it up over the next year or two.

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Natalie MacLean

- 91 points -

December 2022 (Vintage 2021)

Produced by Laura Cantena, La Posta Pizzella Family 2021 Malbec is produced from sustainably grown grapes and is dry, medium-plus-bodied and fragrant with blueberry, mulberry aromas with black currant, earthy violets, nutty, spicy flavours well-defined and fresh on the palate. Excellent value, enjoy it now with a veal chops from the grill.

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James Suckling

- 91 points -

April 2020

A very pure, fresh array of ripe plum and berry aromas lead to a supple palate with medium body and a smooth, even finish.

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Wine Spectator

- 90 points -

January 2024 (Vintage 2022)

Fresh and inviting, with notes of grated nutmeg and dried rose petal joining a juicy core of pomegranate and plum on a suave frame. Finishes silky, echoing back to the floral- and spice-filled opening.

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Wine Advocate

- 90 points -

Luis Gutierrez, November 2022 (Vintage 2021)

The 2021 Pizzella Malbec is ripe without excess and shows more black than red fruit, and it's juicy and velvety, dense and with fine tannins. It has a touch of vanilla that makes it very attractive and pleasant.

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Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

- 90 points -

March 2014

(aged in 25% new and 75% second-use French oak): Bright red with ruby highlights. Dark berries, bitter chocolate and licorice on the rather oaky nose. Then dense and silky on the palate, with a restrained sweetness to the flavors of candied blackberry and violet. More tightly wound and saline than the Angel Paulucci bottling, finishing with lovely energy, building tannins and sneaky length. These vines are younger than those that produce the Angel Paulucci wine (13 years, vs. 40) but this wine is showing more texture today. An outstanding value. -Stephen Tanzer

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Tim Atkin MW

- 90 points -

May 2020

The best of the La Posta range, made in conjunction with the eponymous Pizzella family
in Paraje Altamira, this is bright, sweet and appealing with raspberry and bramble fruit
flavours, subtle 10% new oak and the chalky acidity that often comes with the terroir.

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Vinous

- 90 points -

October 2020

A Malbec from Altamira, 50% aged in barrels, 10% of them new. Dark purple in the glass. The nose is textbook: violets, raspberry and a hint of blueberry. Gentle and fluid on the tongue, delivering vibrant freshness, mild tannins with a little grip, and a pleasant, sustained finish and aftertaste.

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Wine Scores

- 90 points -

July 2012

The La Posta wines are selections of Laura Catena of Mendoza's famed Bodega Catena Zapata. It is a succulent offering, which leads with brown spice, smoked meat and roasted herbs followed with blackberries and black plums, leather and dark chocolate mocha. The palate follows suit - it is smoky, spicy and roasted and is saved from being overly brooding with bright fruit. A firmly structured wine with powdery tannins clinging to the finish. Pair with meat - grilled roasted or broiled or aged, harder cheeses.

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Vinous

- 90 points -

Stephen Tanzer, July 2018 (Vintage 2017)

Bright ruby-red. Cassis, blackberry, licorice and bitter chocolate on the nose; riper and deeper than the Paulucci Malbec. A step up in texture, plushness and depth, conveying an enticing saline character and a restrained sweetness to its flavors of dark raspberry, licorice, black cherry stomp and bitter chocolate. Finishes firmly dry, with serious but suave tannins and lingering notes of cocoa powder and baking spices.

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Tim Atkin MW

- 90 points -

May 2018

The best of the La Posta range comes from a family-owned vineyard in La Consulta. It’s
a medium-bodied style that’s appropriately European in style, given the brand’s Italian
inspiration, with plummy concentration supported by acidity and fine tannins.

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Vinous

- 90 points -

Stephen Tanzer, February 2015

"Good deep red-ruby. The nose combines a port-like black cherry note with scents of violet and bitter chocolate. Despite an initial suggestion of stewed black fruits, the very ripe palate is spicy, juicy and vibrant, showing very good density and concentration as well as a light touch. The most concentrated and structured of these single-vineyard Malbec bottlings, with the flavors of spicy red and black fruits carrying well on the back end. A terrific value."

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