2022 Catena - Cabernet Sauvignon (750ml)

Catena Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Bodega Catena Zapata, where the family has been making wine in Mendoza since 1902. Cabernet Sauvignon itself arrived in Argentina with French settlers in the mid-1800s, and while the grape has always been a secondary player next to Malbec, the Catena family has worked for decades to show what it can achieve in Mendoza's high-altitude vineyards. Today fourth-generation vintner Laura Catena and winemaker Alejandro Vigil continue that work, drawing on sites the family has studied for their distinct mountain character.

This bottling blends fruit from Agrelo, Luján de Cuyo, and the Uco Valley, combining roughly ninety percent Cabernet Sauvignon with small amounts of Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Fermentation takes place with wild yeasts in stainless steel before the wine moves into a mix of first, second, and third use French oak barrels, aging for eleven to thirteen months. That combination of new and older wood is meant to build structure while still letting the fruit and Mendoza's high-elevation character come through clearly.

The wine shows a dark ruby color with violet tones, opening with aromas of ripe raspberry and cassis alongside pepper, clove, and cedar. On the palate it turns full and rich, layered with black currant, black raspberry, and hints of oregano, all carried by silky, well-integrated tannins to a long finish. Pair it with grilled ribeye, aged cheddar, or a rosemary-crusted rack of lamb.