2009 Alta Cabernet Sauvignon

The 2009 Alta Catena Cabernet Sauvignon comes from three different vineyards at different elevations and is blended with 5% Cabernet Franc. The bouquet is understated at first, drawing you in and then building with aeration, fomenting blackberry, wild hedgerow, wild strawberry and smoke. The palate is medium-bodied with crisp tannins on the entry. It is imbued with fine tension and focus, leading to a complex finish of blackberry, soy, tobacco, orange peel and graphite. It is imbued with a sense of classicism, especially on the dry, bell pepper-tinged finish, which exhibits great length. Superb. There is no need to introduce Catena Zapata. I visited the winery, which stands like an Egyptian pyramid looking for its sphynx, and spent the entire morning darting from one room to another tasting the entire portfolio of wines from the family. Naturally, it was an honor to meet Nicolas Catena himself, who has been instrumental in Argentina’s progress over the last three decades (see video). But what is pleasing is to find such a famous winery refusing to rest upon its laurels and in fact, through the irrepressible head winemaker Alejandro Vigil, a man who patently contemplates wines 24/7, Catena Zapata are looking forward and asking themselves questions about the style of wines they produce, what ought to be the next stage of their evolution, instead of merely replicating previous successes. Nothing exemplifies that more than the premium wines. Several years ago, it was 100% or even 200% new oak by rote. Nowadays, more consideration towards harmonizing the level of new oak to the fruit and the character of the wine has meant that it has been dialed down to 60%. Speaking to Alejandro, he might reduce it even further, but of course, it should depend upon what is best for the wine. In addition, there has been a revision in their approach to malolactic fermentation, as attested by their Chardonnays, the length of skin maceration (reduced from 30 to around 22 or 23 days) and more experimentation with whole cluster ferments and co-fermenting with white grape varieties. Anything is possible. Importer: Winebow, Inc., Montvale, NJ; tel. (201) 445-0620

(aged entirely in French oak, 80% new): Full deep red-ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry and bitter chocolate, complicated by hints of wild herbs, game and mint. Sweet, pliant and suave, but with integrated acidity giving focus to the middle palate. Winemaker Alejandro Vigil added 10% cabernet franc to the blend to add floral lift. Finishes broad and fine-grained, with sweet tannins and excellent grip and length.