- “Aims to revive the style of Bordeaux before phylloxera,” says Luis Gutiérrez.
- The wine has been released internationally at £636 (12×75).
- The 2016 presents a compelling alternative and is available for slightly less.
Argentine wine, Nicolás Catena Zapata 2018 has been released at €44 per bottle ex-négociant, up 4.8% on the 2017 (€42).
The wine is being offered internationally for £636 per 12×75, equal to the 2017’s current Market Price. 62,400 bottles were produced from the 2018 vintage.
Critical opinion
The Wine Advocate’s Luis Gutiérrez awarded the wine 96-points and revealed that, “it has a very different profile, a change that started in 2017, with more contained ripeness and more freshness, and the wine is intense, keeping some of the Cabernet character (tobacco, blackberries) and the floral notes from Malbec”.
Joaquín Hidalgo, who tasted it for Vinous, also gave it 96-points. He noted that, “the grapes come from specific parcels of vineyards that Catena planted in the Uco Valley and Luján” and that “the results are breathtaking”. “A wine of tension foregrounded by the blend,” he said.
The wine received another 96-points from James Suckling, who described it as “full-bodied, tight and compact with dense dark berries and currants”.
Where is the value?
Buyers looking for other recent vintages might wish to consider the 2016, with 96-points from The Wine Advocate and available at £500 per case.
Alternatively, if you can find it, the 2005 offers bottle age and is among the highest-scoring wines. It is less than 10% more expensive than today’s release.
Other releases
Catena Zapata Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae 2018 was also released today at €120 per bottle ex-négociant. The wine is being offered internationally for £1,644 per 12×75.
It received 98-points from The Wine Advocate, James Suckling and Jane Anson (Decanter), and 97-points from Vinous.
