Catena Zapata Nicasia Malbec 2013 (750ML)

96 WA / 94 JS / 93 VM

The 2013 Malbec Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard is produced with grapes from the vineyard that names it--a vineyard planted in 1997 in the Altamira zone of Valle de Uco. It's mostly Malbec with some 4% Cabernet Franc, but the two grapes fermented together. It has less Cabernet Franc than other years because 2013 was fresh enough that just that pinch provided enough of the character they are looking for. They call this "the most Malbec of our Malbecs" and it has the textbook aromas of violets and red berries with perfectly integrated oak. The palate is also elegant and fresh and showcases the telltale round tannins of Malbec. This is truly outstanding. Some 8,000 bottles were filled in December 2015. - Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate

A riper more fruit-forward young wine. Full body, round and velvety texture and a savory, rich finish. Love the intensity. Dark fruit and figs. Drink now or hold. - James Suckling

(14% alcohol; the wine's Cabernet Franc component was vinified with whole clusters): Dark red-ruby. More red fruits than black on the nose, with complicating notes of spices, graphite minerality and leather. Very fine-grained, penetrating wine with a lovely rocky calcaire pungency and a faint hint of tar to its blueberry and chocolate flavors. At once smooth, tactile and dry, with its relatively low pH of 3.5 contributing to its dynamic impression. Firmly structured for a slow and graceful evolution in bottle. By the way, winemaker Alejandro Vigil named 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2017 (!) as his favorite vintages to date for the top bottlings at Catena Zapata. - Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media