Catena Malbec Paraje Altamira
⏳ Drinking Window
2024 - 2034
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted lamb chops, portobello mushroom burgers
✨ Technical Specifications
Part of Catena Zapata's pioneering Appellation series, this wine celebrates the distinct microclimate and ancient soils of Paraje Altamira, located in the southern Uco Valley of Mendoza at an elevation of over 3,500 feet. The region is defined by its extreme diurnal temperature swings and unique soil profile, rich in calcium carbonate-coated gravels. This terroir imparts a striking mineral tension and elegant structure to the Malbec grape, contrasting with the riper, more opulent styles found in lower elevations. Under the guidance of Laura Catena and head winemaker Alejandro Vigil, this bottling showcases how the family's decades of soil study have redefined Argentine Malbec, yielding a wine of intense violet aromatics, dark fruit, and a chalky, textured finish.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, Bodega Catena Zapata is the preeminent pioneer of modern Argentine viticulture. In the 1980s and 1990s, third-generation visionary Nicolás Catena Zapata revolutionized the domestic industry by venturing into extreme high-altitude Andean terroirs, most notably planting the famed Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary at nearly 1,500 meters above sea level. Today directed by Dr. Laura Catena and celebrated winemaking director Alejandro Vigil, the estate pairs rigorous micro-terroir research through the Catena Institute of Wine with precision viticulture across alluvial, limestone-laced gravel soils. Fermentations frequently incorporate whole clusters and indigenous yeasts, vinified in concrete, oak foudres, and French barriques to preserve freshness, structural nuance, and site-specific tension. Benchmark bottlings such as the flagship Nicolás Catena Zapata, Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec, and Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Chardonnay stand as global archetypes of high-elevation South American fine wine.
🍇 Grapes
Malbec
🍷 ABV
13.5%