“Lush nose with a ripe, velvety mouthfeel and tangy flavor profile. Stylish, generous, and balanced with a lengthy finish.”

“The blend of the 2014 Catena Alta Malbec changed to adapt to a slightly warmer vintage, and even if the source is the same, Angelica (Lunlunta), La Piramide (Agrelo), Nicasia (Altamira) and Adrianna (Gualtallary), the percentage of grapes from Gualtallary is higher in 2014. They also harvested earlier and the result is a wine with half a degree less alcohol than in the cool 2013 vintage and with slightly higher acidity. The results are magnificent, even if the wine is still very young and lightly marked by the élevage, the texture and the electric acidity provide a superb mouthfeel and surely a long life in bottle.”

“The 2014 Alta Malbec is sourced from old vine vineyards and was aged for 18 months in 70% new French barriques prior to bottling. A dark, glass staining purple color, the wine has heady and earthy aromatics of black tea, pipe tobacco, scorched earth, and black cherry compote. The blue fruit on the mid-palate impress and connect with black fruits and espresso bean flavors. The wine finishes long with dark fruits and a touch of vanilla. Enjoy this great wine over the next decade. Moderately tannic now, if enjoying young, be sure to give this at least an hour in the decanter to settle.”

“The oak is pretty assertive on this young Malbec, adding notes of mocha and coffee, but the underlying wine has the structure, fruit concentration and acidity to soak it up. Just give the wine a year or two in bottle.”

“Deep purple with slightly restrained blueberry, cherry and raspberry aromas. Concentrated, yet elegant with chalky tannins, refreshing acidity and good length.” (SILVER)

“Spicy, woody aromas of oak and root beer are equal to the black-fruit aromas this Malbec is offering. A mix of fresh acidity and creamy oak clash a bit on the palate. Flavors of herbal berry fruits and chocolate finish with rubbing tannins, a flavor note of hickory, and a hint of toasty mint.”

“This wine’s brambly wild berry aromas are more feral and funky than Alta usually delivers, more than likely a result of the cold 2014 vintage. On the palate, it’s wiry, with raw tannins and plum and berry flavors that finish with juicy acidity and tension.”

“Juicy, with brambly flavors of raspberry and huckleberry that are supported by crisp acidity. The minerally finish has peppery notes.”

“This is an upper tier Malbec from Catena Zapata that blends selected lots from a number of choice high elevation vineyards. Floral, earthy, and slightly menthol-scented, with a core of beautiful pure red fruit acidity, it offers a smooth round texture. Grace notes of smoke, chocolate, mineral and roasted coffee accent the charming red fruit. Delicious now with a prime cut of beef, it will age nicely for several years.”

“Malbec consistently remains one of the most popular red wines among everyday wine drinkers. Known for being lush and incredibly smooth, it seems the easier a Malbec is to drink, the more we enjoy it. If you’re looking for an easy-drinking and a well-made red at an unreal price, you should look no further than Catena Malbec. Over here at VinePair, we’d be lying if we said we just discovered Catena Malbec. It was the top performing wine at our blind Malbec tasting last year. But we felt the wine deserved its own solo review as well. Made in Mendoza, Argentina, from high-elevation vines, the Malbec pours a deep dark purple in the glass, giving off aromas of cherries and violets. On the palate the wine is silky smooth. It’s a fruit-forward wine with a nice bit of acidity that lightens it up, making it one of those wines that would be great with or without food.”

“Deep crimson. Quite a bit of sweet oak spice on the nose and a hint of chocolate, also dark-fruited and smoky/savoury, with no unwanted sweetness to the fruit. More savoury and dark-fruited on the palate with terrific freshness. The tannins are already super-smooth but that bite of freshness adds energy and length. Very elegant indeed.” (17.5 points)