Catena Alta Malbec

Catena Alta Malbec bottle image

Wine Description

In the mid-nineties, in an effort to produce a super-premium wine, the winemaking team of Catena began an in-depth investigation into the yields from specially selected, high altitude vineyards, identifying the individual rows that produce the best fruit. Catena Alta is an assemblage of these historic rows within the Catena family’s estate vineyards. 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.

Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. His grandson, Nicolás Catena, is known as the man who revolutionized Argentine wine and introduced high altitude Malbec to the world. The historic Catena Zapata vineyards are planted with the Catena family’s proprietary selection of Malbec vines: the Catena Cuttings. Catena Alta Malbec is sourced from Block 18 of the Angélica Vineyard in Lunlunta, Block 4 of the La Pirámide Vineyard in Agrelo, Block 1 of the Nicasia Vineyard in the Altamira district of San Carlos and Blocks 3 & 9 of the Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary. 

Remington-Mendoza
Laura Catena sits at a table with a glass of wine
Malbec Grapes
Alejandro Vigil (Chief Winemaker) and Laura Catena Tasting
Malbec Clone in La Piramide Vineyard
Nicolás Catena
Bodega Catena Zapata
Bodega Catena Zapata
accordion plus icons
Acclaim
Dark purple-colored, it displays a splendid nose of wild flowers, spice box, incense, black cherry and plum. This leads to an elegant, medium-bodied rendition of Malbec with a velvety texture, superb depth and concentration, succulent flavors with notes of chocolate and black pepper making an appearance, and a pure, silky finish.
— Wine Advocate, Aug 2009
Suave and polished, with a hefty but integrated dose of mocha and spice woven into the dark plum, melted fig and black licorice notes. The long, alluring finish drips with dark druit.
— Wine Spectator, Oct 2009
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Angélica (Lot 18), La Pirámide (Lot 4), La Consulta (Lot 1) and Adrianna (Lot 9 & 3) vineyards
Vineyard size
N/A acres
Soil composition
Sand, Loam
Training method
VSP
Elevation:
2,850-4,725 feet
Vines/acre:
2200
Yield/acre:
.8-1.2 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Year vineyard planted:
Various
Harvest time:
March-April
First vintage of this wine:
1996
accordion plus icons
Winemaking & Aging
Maceration length:
32
Varietal composition:
100% Malbec
Fermentation container:
Small format fermentation bins
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
10-50 days
Fermentation temperature:
82 °F
Maceration technique:
Manual punch down
Malolactic fermentation:
Yes
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225 L
Type of oak:
French oak
Length of aging before bottling:
18 months
Age of Aging Container:
70% New
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
pH level:
3.63
Acidity:
5.57 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %