Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec 2022 75cl
This is Malbec taken about as seriously as anyone in Argentina takes it. The Argentino draws on Catena Zapata's oldest and highest sites — roughly split between the old-vine Angélica vineyard in Lunlunta and the Nicasia vineyard in the Uco Valley, planted in 1996 at over 1,000 metres.
Altitude is the whole point. Up here the days are bright and the nights are cold, so the grapes ripen slowly and keep their acidity and perfume rather than baking into jam. The Catena family did more than anyone to prove Argentine Malbec could stand with the world's great reds, and this is one of the wines that makes the case.
James Suckling scored the 2022 at 93 points, and the profile bears it out: blackberry, plum and violet on the nose, moving into cocoa and spice. The palate is rich with ripe black fruit and cocoa, but it's the fine tannins and bright, high-altitude acidity that give it shape and lift. The finish is long, fresh and refined — concentrated without ever feeling heavy-handed.
At £69.99 you're paying for a benchmark, not a crowd-pleaser. Drink it now with an hour's air, or cellar it for five to eight years and watch it deepen.
How to Serve
Serve at 16–18°C in a large Bordeaux-style glass. Decant an hour ahead — it rewards the time.
Where to Drink It
Scott's in Mayfair for a steak that deserves it. Brat in Shoreditch for the wood grill. Or Bibendum for a slower, considered dinner.
Food Pairings
A well-marbled ribeye, cooked rare, is the pairing the tannins are asking for. Failing that, lamb with rosemary and a proper char.
