2016 Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec La Consulta
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Tasting notes
The other appellation blend is the 2016 Malbec Appellation La Consulta, which comes all from the La Consulta district in San Carlos, composed primarily of sandy soils, with some rounded pebbles thrown in for good measure. Coming from 35-year-old vines and brought up in 35% new French oak, it has considerable elegance as well as a seamless texture. Lovely notes of more red fruits, rose petals, violets, and leafy herbs all flow to a medium to full-bodied, beautifully balanced, silky Malbec that has loads of upfront charm and appeal. With no hard edges, it’s perfect for drinking over the coming 5-7 years. It’s a screaming deal at the price.
Critic scores
Average Score
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
More reviews and scores
The blend of wines from La Consulta 2016 Appellation La Consulta Malbec fermented in stainless steel and matured in oak barrels for 12 months. It's a ripe expression of La Consulta from sand and stone soils, with juicy cherries and a soft texture. 45,600 bottles produced.
Bright ruby-red. Aromas of blackberry, plum, licorice and dark chocolate show a bit less lift than the 2017 La Consulta bottling, as if the wine's topnotes have been muted by some very ripe grapes. Supple, quite dry and classic but without quite the energy and nuance of the best vintages, in spite of showing spicy and herbal notes. Finishes with serious, dusty tannins and very good length. (As I tasted a dozen or so of the Catena Zapata 2016 reds at home in May, it occurred to me that these corks are some of the tightest and densest I've pulled in recent months, showing very little space between the corks and the glass--as if the Catena wines need an additional aging advantage. I almost impaled myself at least twice while trying unsuccessfully to use an Ah-So corkscrew, and my electric corkscrew failed utterly.)
About the producer
Bodega Catena Zapata has been instrumental both in the development of fine wine production in Argentina and in realising the full potential of the Malbec grape.