| Catena Malbec 2008 Mendoza, Argentina    |
Product Notes: The 2008 Catena Malbec shows a dark violet color with deep bluish-black tones. The nose offers ripe, concentrated dark fruit aromas with delicate floral notes and traces of vanilla and mocha. The mouthfeel is rich and lush, with spices, tobacco and a touch of leather. The finish presents soft, supple tannins with bright, crisp acidity and a flinty minerality that gives the wine exceptional length.
"The 2008 Malbec (priced just over the limit to qualify for the Value report), dark ruby red in color, it delivers an alluring bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, and black cherry. Smooth textured, spicy, and easy-to understand, this pleasure-bent Malbec is an outstanding value for drinking over the next 4-6 years."
91 Points
The Wine Advocate
"Aromas of violets and juicy raspberries power past this wine’s lighter scents of black pepper and cassis. Completely filled by the rich, generous fruit flavors that promise a good life in bottle."
91 Points
Wine & Spirits
"Rich and polished, boasting lots of pure cassis, blackberry and boysenberry fruit that courses along, carried by alluring spice, integrated toast and a nice, lingering anise note. Drink now through 2011."
90 Points
Wine Spectator
"Full bright ruby. Superripe aromas of blackberry, licorice, mint, menthol and musky tobacco, plus an exotic suggestion of white fruit; almost a porty suggestion here. Sweet, lush and silky, with a layered texture to the intense plum and chocolatey oak flavors. As seamless and creamy as this is, it also boasts a high pitch and a brisk quality. Finishes with suave, dusty tannins and a whiplash of fruit. Drink this now or over the next several years."
90 Points
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 About Estate: The Catena wines are a blend of single varietal lots from the Catena family�s vineyards. Each vineyard is divided into lots that are harvested separately, and specially prepared to be part of the final blend of each Catena wine: Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec and Chardonnay. By blending components from different terroirs and altitudes, we aim to create the most balanced and expressive wine. Although we have found that most of the Catena wines are consumed shortly after release, we have been pleased to see that they age beautifully for ten to twenty years.
The Catena family has conducted extensive research into the soils and microclimates of Mendoza's high altitude wine country in the foothills of the Andes mountains. At different altitudes, the family�s Malbec vineyards express a unique profile of aromas and flavors: the ripe plum fruit flavors and silky texture of the Angelica vineyard (2,850� elevation); the dark fruit character and pepper notes of the La Pir�mide vineyard (3,100� elevation); the black cherry aromas and excellent structure of the Altamira vineyard (3,870� elevation); the explosive floral aromatics full, concentrated mouthfeel of the Adrianna vineyard (5,000�). The blend of these components creates a wine of unique character that has balance, concentration and a strong varietal identity
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