Cabernet Sauvignon
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 3–10 years from the vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted lamb chops with rosemary, braised beef short ribs
✨ wine.spec_sheet
While Argentina is globally synonymous with Malbec, the Catena family's pursuit of world-class winemaking actually began with a deep obsession with Cabernet Sauvignon. In the 1980s, Nicolás Catena Zapata sought to challenge the dominance of Bordeaux by planting Cabernet Sauvignon in the high-altitude, cool-climate terroirs of Mendoza, particularly in Agrelo. This wine represents the realization of that vision. Grown in soils of clay and gravel at elevations exceeding 3,000 feet, the intense mountain sunlight thickens the grape skins, yielding deep color and robust tannins, while the dramatic diurnal temperature shifts preserve a vibrant, balancing acidity. Fermented in stainless steel and aged in a selection of French oak barrels, this Cabernet Sauvignon beautifully marries the grape's traditional structure, cassis, and eucalyptus notes with the rich, ripe dark fruit character unique to Mendoza's high-altitude desert.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, the historic Catena Zapata estate is located in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, and remains family-owned under the visionary leadership of Nicolás Catena Zapata and his daughter Laura. Renowned for pioneering high-altitude viticulture in the Andean foothills, the winery revolutionized Argentine winemaking by proving that world-class, age-worthy wines could be produced from extreme mountain terroirs. Their production philosophy focuses on meticulous parcel selection and soil-specific micro-vinifications, particularly within the acclaimed Adrianna Vineyard. Catena Zapata is celebrated globally for its profound, structured red wines, most notably its flagship Bordeaux-style blend, Nicolás Catena Zapata, and the highly expressive, mineral-driven Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec.