Bodega Catena Zapata 2004 - Nicolas 750 ml.

Catena Zapata's flagship is the Nicolas Catena Zapata, a Cabernet Sauvignon-Malbec blend. The 2004 Nicolas Catena Zapata is composed of 72% Cabernet Sauvignon and 28% Malbec. It spent 18 months in 100% new French oak. A saturated black purple in color, it has an aristocratic perfume of pain grille, mineral, espresso, saddle leather, cassis, black currant, and black raspberry. Opulently textured, complex, ripe, and sweet on the palate, it maintains a sense of elegance as well as power. It demands 10-15 years of further cellaring and should still be providing pleasure at age 50. It strikes me as being Argentina's equivalent of a great vintage of Lafite-Rothschild. When all is said and done, Catena Zapata is the Argentina winery of reference - the standard of excellence for comparing all others. The brilliant, forward-thinking Nicolas Catena remains in charge, with his daughter, Laura, playing an increasingly large role. The Catena Zapata winery is an essential destination for fans of both architecture and wine in Mendoza. It is hard to believe, given the surge in popularity of Malbec in recent years, that Catena Zapata only began exporting Malbec to the United States in 1994.

Wine Enthusiast: 92

Rich and showy, with lots of licorice snap, plum sauce, graphite, boysenberry and milk chocolate notes all carried by rich, velvety tannins. The long, fleshy finish is very accessible. Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Drink now through 2011. 990 cases imported.