“The 2021 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with a blend of 40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 35% Cabernet Franc and 25% Malbec. It comes from Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon massal selections of ungrafted vines from Nicasia in Altamira and Adrianna in Tupungato and Cabernet Franc from Agrelo. It fermented in small oak barrels, concrete and stainless steel tanks and matured in 2,000-liter oak foudres for 18 months. It's a powerful but fresh red with 13.7% alcohol and mellow acidity, perhaps because the Cabernet Sauvignon was picked earlier (and with lower yields) and they discarded the clay soils and went more for stony plots. The wine feels more streamlined and elegant. 2021 is a cool and very good year, following the path of the 2019, and the wine shows the classical herbal and spicy character of the Bordeaux varieties with pungent notes of black peppercorns and is spicier because of the high Cabernet Franc content.”

For some procedures, the 2021 vintage, marked by certain rains in February that tempered the harvest temperatures in March, represents the closest thing to a Bordeaux year that can be achieved in Mendoza. In that sense, the 2021 was an ideal vintage for Bordeaux-origin varieties. This unique situation is clearly reflected in the 2021 Malbec Nicolás Vineyard, which unveils a new label for this vintage after being aged up to 21 months in French oak barrels. The wine blends 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc from Uco Valley vineyards. With a deep purple hue and a garnet tint, it opens with delicate cassis and Bordeaux-like nuances of ash, tobacco, black fruit and cherry. Expressive and compact, it features cedar notes on a long, lingering finish.

“Nicolás is a finely crafted blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, 44% Malbec and 10% Cabernet Franc from Fernando Buscema, showcasing the contrasting terroirs of Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira. Appealingly international in style, it has lovely cigar box and coffee bean oak, layers of mint, violet and tarragon, granular, fine-bones tannins and harmonious chocolate, blackberry and blackcurrant leaf flavours.”