2022 Catena Alta Malbec

Catena Zapata is the family that proved Argentine Malbec belonged among the world's greats, and much of that came down to one idea: plant high. Catena Alta is their high-altitude bottling, an assemblage drawn from historic rows across the family's estate vineyards — from Angélica and La Pirámide up to the celebrated Adrianna and Nicasia lots — with sites ranging from 920 metres to nearly 1,450 metres in the Mendoza Andes.

Altitude is the whole story here: intense sunlight, cold nights, and a wine that carries real concentration alongside freshness. The 2022 is hand-loaded as whole berries into small fermenters and given a wild-yeast ferment with an extended maceration. Expect candied fig and chocolate-covered blackberry on the nose, with a faint note of tree bark and cola. The palate is soft and mouth-filling, red and black fruit swelling out before the oak makes its presence felt on the finish. Rich, but never clumsy.

It drinks well from around three years after harvest and will cellar comfortably for a decade or more. Decant if you're opening it now.

How to Serve

Serve at 16–18°C in a large glass. Decant an hour ahead — a young, high-altitude Malbec unwinds beautifully with air.

Where to Drink It

Zelman Meats in Soho for the char-grill and a big red. Or Gaucho, if you want to keep the Argentine theme all the way through.

Food Pairings

Grilled skirt steak with chimichurri — the Mendoza classic. Or a plate of empanadas to start.