Bodega Catena Zapata "Alta" Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
(Mendoza, Argentina)
Regular price $65.00 Sale price $55.97 Save $9.03
12-PACK PRICE = $54.97 per item (add 12+ quantity to your basket)
Notes From The Winemaker:
During the 1990’s, Bodega Catena Zapata set new standards for Argentine wine. In an effort to produce a super premium wine, the winemaking team of Catena began in-depth investigations into the yields from specially selected, high altitude vineyards, identifying the lots that produce the best fruit. These vines undergo a careful thinning process, leaving only a select few clusters, resulting in remarkably complex, aromatic and flavorful fruit. Through the application of natural techniques, these grapes are transformed into Catena Alta. Fruit for the 2008 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced 50% from La Pirámide Vineyard (Block 3) and 50% from Domingo Vineyard (Block 2). Whole berries are hand loaded into small fermentation bins. All lots are treated individually to acheive the best results from the grapes. This wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes:
The Catena Zapata Adrianna White Bones Chardonnay shows bright citrus and white fruit on the nose. This richly-textured wine has pear, apple and floral flavors accompanied by a salty note. Bright and clean on the finish, this wine has wonderful length and minerality.
Ratings & Reviews
92+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2010 Vintage):
The 2010 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon contains 12% of whole-cluster Cabernet Franc and the grapes are sourced from the vineyards of La Piramide around their impressive winery in Agrelo, Nicasia at 1,095 meters altitude in Altamira in the Uco Valley and Domingo. 2010 is a fresh and balanced vintage and this wine, which fermented in used 225-liter barrels, reflects it very well: is very fresh, with a strong herbaceous note of mint, very intense but the aromas are really more about the soil and less about the fruit, which gives it a serious character, a Cabernet no doubt helped by the addition of Cabernet Franc, with great acidity and a fine texture. A superb wine. Drink 2015-2020." - Luis Gutierrez (Apr 2014)
92(+?) Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (2010 Vintage):
"Bright ruby-red. Aromas of cassis and blackberry lifted by violet and spices. Lush and dense on the palate, but with harmonious acidity giving shape and definition to the graceful dark fruit and floral flavors. This stands above most Argentine cabernets owing to its combination of richness and finesse. Finishes serious and long, with excellent tannic grip. Winemaker Alejandro Vigil told me that this rather large bottling (around 8,000 cases) is made up of 350 different lots." - Stephen Tanzer (Mar/Apr 14)
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast (2010 Vintage):
"Thick and chewy, this Cabernet is all Argentine in its weight and character. It feels full, with candied, creamy dark-fruit flavors that are backed by caramel and spice notes. The wine is hugely flavorful and expansive on the finish, showing brown-sugar sweetness and toasty warmth. Drink now–2017." - Michael Schachner (12/31/2012)
During the 1990’s, Bodega Catena Zapata set new standards for Argentine wine. In an effort to produce a super premium wine, the winemaking team of Catena began in-depth investigations into the yields from specially selected, high altitude vineyards, identifying the lots that produce the best fruit. These vines undergo a careful thinning process, leaving only a select few clusters, resulting in remarkably complex, aromatic and flavorful fruit. Through the application of natural techniques, these grapes are transformed into Catena Alta. Fruit for the 2008 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced 50% from La Pirámide Vineyard (Block 3) and 50% from Domingo Vineyard (Block 2). Whole berries are hand loaded into small fermentation bins. All lots are treated individually to acheive the best results from the grapes. This wine is unfined and unfiltered.
Tasting Notes:
The Catena Zapata Adrianna White Bones Chardonnay shows bright citrus and white fruit on the nose. This richly-textured wine has pear, apple and floral flavors accompanied by a salty note. Bright and clean on the finish, this wine has wonderful length and minerality.
Ratings & Reviews
92+ Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate (2010 Vintage):
The 2010 Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon contains 12% of whole-cluster Cabernet Franc and the grapes are sourced from the vineyards of La Piramide around their impressive winery in Agrelo, Nicasia at 1,095 meters altitude in Altamira in the Uco Valley and Domingo. 2010 is a fresh and balanced vintage and this wine, which fermented in used 225-liter barrels, reflects it very well: is very fresh, with a strong herbaceous note of mint, very intense but the aromas are really more about the soil and less about the fruit, which gives it a serious character, a Cabernet no doubt helped by the addition of Cabernet Franc, with great acidity and a fine texture. A superb wine. Drink 2015-2020." - Luis Gutierrez (Apr 2014)
92(+?) Points - Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (2010 Vintage):
"Bright ruby-red. Aromas of cassis and blackberry lifted by violet and spices. Lush and dense on the palate, but with harmonious acidity giving shape and definition to the graceful dark fruit and floral flavors. This stands above most Argentine cabernets owing to its combination of richness and finesse. Finishes serious and long, with excellent tannic grip. Winemaker Alejandro Vigil told me that this rather large bottling (around 8,000 cases) is made up of 350 different lots." - Stephen Tanzer (Mar/Apr 14)
90 Points - Wine Enthusiast (2010 Vintage):
"Thick and chewy, this Cabernet is all Argentine in its weight and character. It feels full, with candied, creamy dark-fruit flavors that are backed by caramel and spice notes. The wine is hugely flavorful and expansive on the finish, showing brown-sugar sweetness and toasty warmth. Drink now–2017." - Michael Schachner (12/31/2012)