Nicolas Catena Zapata - Mendoza 2022

The Drinks Business

96

byColin Haythe3/2/2026

Impressively impactful. So intense and vivid. An upwardly pointed firehose of damson and dark berry fruits. Graphite. Black pepper and Szechuan peppercorns. Iris. This is gorgeous on the entry and intensely floral again. Narrow in frame and very vertical and profound in its depth. Truly excellent. Black cherry perfection. Generous. Long and rippling as the tannins engage on the sapid finish. A little like the 2021 and different from earlier vintages. There’s a lovely purity to this. 96+.

Jane Anson, Inside Bordeaux

96

byJane Ansonthe2/3/2026

These are almost entirely old vines, heading right back to 19th century, and it still shows why this wine put Argentina Cabernet on the map. Juicy, restrained, elegant, crushed mint leaf, eucalyptus and damson with depth, drawn out slate and crayon through the palate. This has changed its Bordeaux release date from September to March, here is second tasting, confirming the first six months ago. 32ha, Laura Catena director, Alejandro Vigil and Fernando Buscema winemakers.

Decanter.com

96

byGeorgina Hindlethe2/3/2026

Clean and crisp, a gorgeous almost sweet and juicy cherry aspect but aligned to super freshness with lots of salty minerality and present but not intrusive tannins. Concentrated, muscular, but chiseled. Feels really well made, full of life and energy, focus and detail. Cool and fresh too with mouthwatering acidity. Pure and refined but still absolutely giving a lot of flavour. Ends salty with touches of graphite and wet stone. I really like this, such a great expression.

The Wine Palate

96

byLisa Perrotti-Brownthe2/2/2026

A blend of 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 43% Malbec, the 2022 Nicolás Catena Zapata is deep garnet-purple in color. After a little swirl, the nose erupts with a profound perfume of blackcurrant jelly, plum preserves, and dark chocolate, followed by hints of unsmoked cigars, fertile loam, and bay leaves, plus a touch of pencil shavings. The medium-bodied palate has a firm, chewy texture and refreshing acidity framing the muscular black-fruit layers, finishing long and earthy.

Vinous

98

byJoaquin Hidalgothe9/10/2025

The 2022 Nicolás Catena Zapata blends 46% Cabernet Sauvignon, 43% Malbec and 11% Cabernet Franc from Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira. This aged for 18 months in first- and second-use French barrels. It shows great precision. The vintage brings ash, sour cherry, plum, lavender and oak notes of cedar, sandalwood, licorice, followed by blackberry. This is layered and expressive. On the palate, it delivers fine grip, juicy energy and length, with textural depth, light chalk and compact structure. The 2022 is full-bodied and pushed to its limits by the cool, dry year, with a final hint of talc.

The Drinks Business

96

byColin Haythe8/27/2025

(Mendoza; 46% Cabernet Sauvignon; 43% Malbec; 11% Cabernet Franc; 13.5% alcohol; 4800 cases produced). Sumptuous. Very refined. Elegant and classy, an impression aided by the classicism of the cedary notes. Intense dark berry fruits, most notably blueberries, but brambles and mulberries too. As this suggests, its very autumnal in its fruit signature. There’s a little cassis too and a touch of kirsch. And I love the subtle notes of incense and of confit rose petals. Very fine texturally, this is both glassy in its purity and sinuous in its evolution over the palate. Very fine. Excellent. 96.

Decanter.com

95

byGeorgina Hindlethe7/8/2025

Blackcurrant and damsons on the nose with pink peppercorns - really quite a unique aroma to this wine. Floral and fruity, wide and long, this has excellent freshness and sense of brightness straight away. Super tannins, although there’s no hiding from the power exuding from this wine. The texture fills the mouth, fleshy and ripe, and leave such a lingering hold. Chewy and wide, but really enjoyable with a well-made aspect. Polished but powerful with a load of spiced, minty and savoury touches on the finish; liquorice, black chocolate, eucalyptus and clove. Extremely tasty. Director Laura Catena, winemakers Alejandro Vigil and Fernando Buscema.