- 96 points -
March 2025 (Vintage 2023)This shows plums, bark and charcoal on the nose. The palate is precise, sharp, linear and super elegant, with velvety tannins and crunchy fruit. It’s long, refined and very stylish.
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LUCA
Malbec Old Vines
2022
Country
Argentina
Regulated designation
Geographical Indication (GI)
Region
Mendoza
Subregion
Valle de Uco
Varietal(s)
Malbec
Colour
Red
Producer's website
About this winery
Laura Catena, daughter of famous Argentine wine pioneer, Nicolas Catena, was born in Buenos Aires. At the age of 14, her family moved to Berkeley, California where her father had taken a teaching position in the Economics Department. Laura went on to attend Harvard University, where she graduated magna cum laude in biology, and then she returned to the west coast, to Stanford University, to pursue a medical degree graduating in 1992. Today, Laura Catena is a practicing emergency-room physician....
Press reviews
- 95 points -
May 2024 (Vintage 2022)Lots of mountain herbs, mussel shells and sour black cherries. Full, fleshy and fresh on the palate with fine, silty tannins and a juicy, rather minerally finish. Long and tight but caressing and pretty transparent and tactile on the palate.
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- 94 points -
2024 (Vintage 2022)This is from a selection of three old vineyards—Altamira, El Cepillo, and Tupungato—all in Uco and all planted more than 60 years ago in the lower part of that valley. The vines are furrow-irrigated, the traditional method before drip irrigation was introduced in the early 1990s. With a year of aging in 35% new barrels, this wine offers a dense layer of red fruit and spices. There are flowers, too, but it’s mostly the fruity flavors and aromas that expand vibrantly across the palate. Juicy and intense, this is a wine for the cellar.
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- 93 points -
August 2025 (Vintage 2023)The 2023 Malbec Old Vine was sourced from La Consulta, Paraje Altamira and Pampa El Cepillo in the Uco Valley. It aged for 12 months in 35% new and 65% second-use French barrels. With clear notes of plum, blackberry, a hint of balsamic herbs and a touch of jam, it is juicy and indulgent. The palate shows ripe fruit and a background of oak. This is a bit lighter than in previous years, reflecting the character of 2023.
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- 92 points -
October 2024 (Vintage 2022)This Malbec from Uco Valley starts with delicate leafy aromas that introduce a concentrated palate of plums, cherries and a touch of tobacco. It's well structured and finishes with a dash of savory herbs.
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- 91 points -
December 2023 (Vintage 2021)Dr. Laura Catena sources grapes from old vineyards in the Uco Valley for this fruit-focused and silky-textured Malbec. It boasts flavors of blackberry, mulberry and plum backed by fine tannins. A whisper of dried herbs and spices adds more layers to the palate.
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- 91 points -
January 2026 (Vintage 2023)Hints of roasted herbs and loam lead but quickly give way to the core flavors of Santa Rosa plum and cherry, culminating with crunchy acidity, mineral and cocoa powder notes that fill out the structured finish.
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- 91 points -
May 2025 (Vintage 2023)The 2023 Old Vine Malbec combines ungrafted vines from six Uco Valley growers who previously sold grapes for use in bulk wines. It was destemmed and fermented in stainless tank before maturing for 12 months in 35% new barrique. Opening with a pleasant nose of red and blue fruits, anise and dried spices, the palate is plush and straightforward, concluding with a lifted, fragrant finish.
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