Catena Cabernet Sauvignon · 2023

This excellent Cabernet Sauvignon from Catena Zapata is a creation by Laura Catena, the winery's director and fourth-generation winemaker, and Alejandro Vigil, the firm's Winemaking Director. It is ready to drink on buying, but many vintages have also shown it to have a wonderful potential for laying down. It is made with a careful selection of grapes from the historic vineyards the Catena family own among a variety of different microclimates at high altitudes in Mendoza. The firm studied the area for decades to find the best locations for each variety they work with, which explains the unique character, excellent typicity and perfect balance of freshness and concentration in this extraordinary Cabernet Sauvignon. It ferments with native yeasts and is usually left to age for 12 months in oak, although the kinds of barrels — new wood, once used, twice used — may depend on the characteristics of each vineyard and harvesting conditions. Finally, the wine is bottled unclarified and unfiltered. It is a quite intense wine whose magnificent Picota cherry colour displays an immediate elegance. As with many great wines, it is subtle and shy in the nose to begin with. Initial hints of black olive brine are soon met with suggestive aromas of citrus fruit oils (oranges) thanks to the altitude the vines grow at. Soon, blackberries, ripe cranberries, and even blackcurrants join in alongside soothing herbal tones and a fine hint of eucalyptus. A very silky drink, it dances in the mouth with the juiciness and confidence of a great wine. After each sip, hints of cigars and delicate spices appear, embellished with an extremely precise acidity and plentiful yet blended tannins. It says farewell with a dry, precise and serious finish.