Appy Friday indeed for lovers of world-class Malbec!

Ahem, as Wine Advocate recently confessed, “It is difficult to avoid hyperbole when discussing the Catena family’s impact on Argentine wine.”

And they call these “phenomenal, true to their place and vintage” wines. 100% pure single vineyard bliss, and we go deep, from an already fair $120 per bottle all the way down to $80 for one of the top single site Malbecs of the planet? With double 97s AND a 96 in staggering accolades?!

Decanter puts it best, “It was Nicolás Catena who thrust Argentinian wine into the modern era. A widely traveled academic economist, he learned from his exposure in the 1970s both to great Bordeaux and the huge promise of Napa wines. In the early 1980s, Catena agreed the key was to plant the right varieties in the right location…” while Jancis Robinson adds that he’s “justly credited with putting Argentinean wines on the world map - by the best expedient of focusing entirely on quality. It’s great to know he has started a wine dynasty, too.”

Heiress Laura Catena is a 4th generation globetrotting vintner, Founder and Managing Director of the Catena Institute of Wine, established author, Emergency Medicine physician in San Francisco, graduate of Harvard AND Stanford, oh, and finally, mother of three beautiful children. All that in one.

Back to the wine in our glasses, from 30-year-old vines grown at 3,600 feet elevation. Like NO OTHER Malbec that we know of. Black, blue, purple, red, and black fruits. All there, not making that up. And savory, dried herbs, and minerals, and crushed flowers, all hanging out at an exotic spice bazaar. Silk does not even begin to describe the plush mouthfeel. Truly monumental, as a testament to the unique and unsurpassed reign of Mendoza Malbec when in the right hands.

Now for the bad news, it’s very limited.

97 Points – Antonio Galloni’s Vinous “The 2021 Malbec Nicasia Vineyard originates from a small plot nestled within Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley. It was aged up to 16 months in concrete vats and foudres and boasts a deep purple color. The complex nose unveils layers of crushed plums, blueberries, herbs, curry, lavender and graphite. Initially dry and plush, the palate transitions into a taut, chalky, overwhelming, and juicy texture, as if embodying structure and suppleness. This unique and flavorful Malbec offers a high-pitched intensity of flavor that lingers, showcasing a prolonged focus on the fruit. Drink 2025-2040.”

97 Points – Descorchados “The 2021 season was cool in the Uco Valley and produced wines with a lot of fruit expression and energy. This is one of the best expamples. The flavors of red fruit and herbs join floral notes, giving a sensation of tremendous freshness on the nose. The palate has an intense, sharp network of tannins, the fruity flavors are energetic, the sensation of freshness is maintained, and the floral finish invites you to continue drinking. An excellent vintage of this classic. Nicasia is the second of the vineyards that Catena began to plant in the Uco Valley, after Adrianna, in Gualtallary. Nicasia, is a little further south, toward Altamira, more than 1,100 meters up and near the foot of the Andes. This is a selection of malbec from those first vineyards, planted in 1996.”

96 Points – James Suckling “A complex, layered malbec that shows a touch of white pepper and cigar box. Blackberries, chiles, chocolate and fine spices. Really juicy and compact, but nothing hefty. Quintessential flavors with dusty tannins that keep growing. Drink or hold.”