Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard

Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard Malbec bottle image

Wine Description

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
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Acclaim
“Plush and rich with a berry nose and dignified, vivid style; complex, layered, and balanced.”
— The Tasting Panel, Dec 2018
“The Catena Zapata range comprises some single-vineyard wines, like the 2014 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard that comes from a plot of ungrafted vines planted in Altamira in 1996 using Malbec cuttings from the ancient Angélica vineyard. Cropped from a year that delivered moderate alcohol and notable acidity, it fermented with full clusters in 2,000- and 5,000-liter oak foudres with indigenous yeasts. It matured in French oak barrels for 24 months. This shows superbly and is open and expressive, very classical and elegant, floral and mineral, with no excess whatsoever. The palate reveals superb balance, really harmonious and elegant. This one might be overlooked because there is a lot of attention given to the Malbecs from Adrianna vineyard, but this is really at the same quality level.”
— Wine Advocate, Jun 2018
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
Nicasia Vineyard, Altamira en La Consulta, Lot 1
Vineyard size
100 acres
Soil composition
Rocky and Silty-Loam
Training method
VSP
Elevation:
3,593 feet
Vines/acre:
2200
Yield/acre:
1.2 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1996
Harvest time:
April
First vintage of this wine:
2004
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Winemaking & Aging
Prefermentation Technique:
Cold maceration- 10% whole cluster
Time on its skins:
5-8 days
Maceration length:
28
Varietal composition:
100% Malbec
Fermentation container:
Vertical open Barriques & small steel tanks
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
17 days
Fermentation temperature:
77 - 86 °F
Maceration technique:
Punchdown
Malolactic fermentation:
Full
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:
100% New
Length of bottle aging:
24 months
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.5
Alcohol:
13.6 %
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Wine Production

With veraison taking place on January, water restriction was implemented to maintain vine water content and stop secondary shoot growth. Leaf thinning in March on the eastern side of the rows allowed the fruit to bask in the softer, early morning sunlight. Harvested in April, vines enjoyed an extremely long, 87 day window from veraison to harvest. A plant by plant selection process means only the highest quality fruit becomes part of this exceptional Malbec. 

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About the Vineyard

The Nicasia vineyard is a small, specially selected number of rows in Lot 1 of the Catena family's Altamira vineyard. Planted in 1996, the Malbec vine are on own roots and part of a massal population from the Catena family's historic, 80 year old Angelica vineyard. Early shoot removal in September and a cluster thinning on December lead to an extremely 
low yield of 1.2 tons per acre.