Nicolás Catena Zapata
⏳ Drinking Window
2020 - 2035
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled ribeye steak, roasted rack of lamb, or slow-cooked wild boar ragu.
✨ Technical Specifications
First released in 1997, Nicolás Catena Zapata represents a watershed moment for Argentine winemaking. Named in honor of the family's visionary patriarch who pioneered high-altitude viticulture, this flagship cuvée was crafted to stand alongside the world's greatest Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. In historic blind tastings across London, Chicago, and New York in 2001, early vintages of this wine frequently triumphed over legendary Bordeaux First Growths and Napa cult classics, forever changing the global perception of South American wine. Sourced from the high-altitude clay soils of the La Pirámide Vineyard in Agrelo and the gravelly limestone of the Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, the wine undergoes meticulous micro-vinification in small French oak barrels. It is celebrated for its profound structure, intense dark fruit, complex herbal undertones, and extraordinary mineral precision.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, Bodega Catena Zapata is celebrated as the pioneer that revolutionized modern Argentine winemaking and propelled Malbec onto the international stage. Located in Mendoza, the estate was transformed in the 1980s by third-generation vintner Nicolás Catena Zapata, who boldly advanced high-altitude viticulture along the Andean foothills, highlighted by the iconic Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary. Today, under the stewardship of Nicolás and his daughter Dr. Laura Catena, the winery unites traditional winemaking with groundbreaking soil and climate research via the Catena Institute of Wine. The estate is globally revered for its profound, terroir-driven expressions, exemplified by flagship cuvées such as Nicolás Catena Zapata, Malbec Argentino, and the acclaimed Adrianna Vineyard parcel-specific bottlings.
🍇 Grape Varieties
Cabernet Sauvignon (typically 60-75%), Malbec (typically 25-40%)
🍷 Alcohol By Volume (ABV)
14%