Catena’s High Mountain Malbec is a blend of high-altitude, family owned vineyards situated in Maipú, Lujan de Cuyo, Tupungato and San Carlos. Two-thousand-and-eighteen is a good year, and you sense it as soon as the wine hits your palate. The precision you taste is a reflection of its mix of sites. Eighty-year-old vines in Lunlunta (Maipù) Vineyard lend soft, sweet textures. In Agrelo Vineyard (Luján de Cuyo), the Catena cuttings throw spice. The cold nights in Altamira (San Carlos) Vineyard lend bright, crisp acidity, and the intense sunshine in Gualtallary (Tupungato) Vineyard yields floral aromatics and structure. Simply a delicious mix of red and black fruits sprayed with umami deliciousness and finished with a touch of mocha-flavoured toasted oak. Turkey is an amazing match, but grilled steak is a more likely summer fare. Two-thousand-eighteen is Year 24 for a label now a million miles from where it began.
April 2021