Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon

Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon

In the 1990s, Catena set a new standard for Argentine wine by investigating the yields from specially selected, high-altitude vineyards and identifying the individual rows 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.

With these wines, Catena Zapata continued their pioneering efforts, being the first to release Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay of this quality from Mendoza’s high-altitude wine country. The Alta wines are unfined and unfiltered. They can typically be drunk starting three years after harvest but continue to develop for another ten to twenty years.

Tasting Notes

Notes of ripe raspberries, cassis, pepper, and clove. Rich and full-bodied with layers of black currant, black raspberry, cedar, tobacco, and leather. Silky tannins provide structure and a long, persistent finish.

In the 1990s, Catena set a new standard for Argentine wine by investigating the yields from specially selected, high-altitude vineyards and identifying the individual rows 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.

With these wines, Catena Zapata continued their pioneering efforts, being the first to release Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Chardonnay of this quality from Mendoza’s high-altitude wine country. The Alta wines are unfined and unfiltered. They can typically be drunk starting three years after harvest but continue to develop for another ten to twenty years.

Tasting Notes

Notes of ripe raspberries, cassis, pepper, and clove. Rich and full-bodied with layers of black currant, black raspberry, cedar, tobacco, and leather. Silky tannins provide structure and a long, persistent finish.

Vineyard & Production Info

Vineyard name:
Lot 3, La Piramide Vineyard, Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo.
Soil composition:
Sandy-Loam
Training method:
VSP
Elevation:
3,117-3,675 feet
Yield/acre:
1.2 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Harvest time:
Mid-April
First vintage of this wine:
1994
Bottles produced of this wine:
60,000

Winemaking & Aging

Maceration length:
30 days
Varietal composition:
90% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Cabernet Franc, 2% Petit Verdot
Fermentation container:
Barriques and Barrels
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
16-35 days
Maceration technique:
Punchdown
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225 L
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months
Age of Aging Container:
New-Two years
Length of bottle aging:
24 months

Analytical Data

pH level:
3.5
Acidity:
5.65 g/L
Alcohol:
13.6 %
Residual sugar:
1.8 g/L

About the Vineyard

Every vineyard has a sweet spot: a series of rows that yield the best quality fruit. Differences in soil structure, clonal selection, row orientation, slope, or vine density result in wines with a one-of-a-kind character, concentration, and personality. Catena has spent the last 30 years extensively mapping their estate vineyards to uncover these lots. The winery farms and vinifies each lot separately to showcase its unique expression. The blend of these rows, like the blend of musical notes that compose a symphony, creates a wine that is layered and complex, concentrated yet nuanced.

Catena Alta Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from Block 3 of the La Pirámide Vineyard in the Agrelo district of Luján de Cuyo, Block 2 of the Domingo Vineyard in the Villa Bastías district of Tupungato, and Block 2 of the Nicasia Vineyard in the Altamira district of San Carlos in the southern end of the Uco Valley.