2023 Catena - Malbec Mendoza Paraje Altamira (750ml)
A landmark expression of single-terroir Malbec from one of Argentina's most historic and celebrated families — and the 2023 vintage is firing on all cylinders. Wine Spectator awarded the 2023 vintage a stunning 95 Points, making this one of the highest-scoring releases in the Catena Appellation series to date. Wine Advocate awarded 93 Points, calling the 2023 Paraje Altamira the leader of the Catena Appellation series — hailing from vines planted in 1996, leading with a harmonious and composed nose of bright fruits, floral tones, and fresh herbs, with a svelte and poised palate transitioning to a rich yet focused finish that grows more sturdy and upright with aeration.
The Catena family has been sourcing Malbec from the vineyards of Altamira in the Uco Valley since the 1950s — one of the most distinctive and coveted subregions in all of Mendoza, where limestone-rich soils, extreme altitude, and the dramatic interplay of intense Andean sunlight and cold nights produce a Malbec of singular mineral character, elegance, and tension unlike anything found elsewhere in Argentina. Cold maceration extracts maximum aromatic complexity before fermentation, followed by aging in French oak, yielding a wine of deep, saturated color with aromas of blue fruit, dark plum, crushed violet, and a whisper of pepper and herbs. On the palate it is saline, chiseled, and luminous — concentrated yet lifted, with a refined structure and a finish of remarkable length and mineral persistence. Serious Malbec at a price that frankly defies belief