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NOTES
Argentina has been making wine since the 1500s, tracing its wine heritage back to Spain, France and, perhaps surprisingly, Italy. Italian immigration is second only to Spanish in Argentine culture, and the flavors of Italy show up strongly in the nation’s wine, food and cultural tradition. Historically, Argentina has kept much of its wine consumption at home, drinking most of the wine it makes. But we are now seeing more very serious Argentine wines north of the border, and Malbec is leading the movement.
In the late 1800s, Nicola Catena grew up the son of vineyard workers in The Marches province of Italy. Like many Italians who struggled to make ends meet at the turn of the 19th century, he boarded a ship to cross the ocean in search of a more prosperous life. Argentina was a common destination for wayward Italians and Nicola found his home in Mendoza, which was widely becoming known as a magnificent grape growing region. In 1902, he planted his first vineyard and began producing wine for the domestic market.
Nicola’s eldest son Domingo eventually took over the business and strived to expand the production of his favorite grape, Malbec. Years later, Domingo’s eldest son Nicolás (named after his grandfather) graduated from the university with a degree in economics and joined the family business in 1963. Together, they worked diligently to increase Catena’s vineyards and winemaking capacity in order to become one of Argentina's largest and most prosperous wine producing families.
Catena was one of the leading producers of Argentinean wine in terms of quantity, but it wasn’t until one day in 1982 that they began their quest to become a leader in quality wine as well.
TASTING NOTES
The wine shows a deep, saturated violet colour with a blackish hue. The nose presents a wide array of dark berry fruits with notes of delicate violet flowers as well as sweet clove spices, a touch of cedar and leather. The mouthfeel is full and unctuous, with excellent weight and supple texture. The mid palate offers rich cassis and black currant fruit flavors interwoven with hints of chocolate, vanilla and black pepper. The lengthy finish shows wonderful minerality, with finely grained tannins and lively acidity.
REVIEWS
Suave and polished, with a hefty but integrated dose of mocha and spice woven into the dark plum, melted fig and black licorice notes. The long, alluring finish drips with dark fruit. 92 Points, Wine Spectator Magazine, October 31, 2009
The 2006 Alta Malbec was sourced from small lots in several estate vineyards. It spent 18 months in 70% new French oak. Dark purple-coloured, it displays a splendid nose of wild flowers, spice box, incense, black cherry and plum. This leads to an elegant, medium-bodied rendition of Malbec with a velvety texture, superb depth and concentration, succulent flavours with notes of chocolate and black pepper making an appearance, and a pure, silky finish. while it will continue to blossom for several more years, it can be enjoyed now. 93 Points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate – Issue 184 – August 2009
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