Run by an all-star team that includes the charismatic Alejandro Vigil as it’s a chief winemaker and Decanter Magazine’s 2009 Man of the Year, one can only expect great things from Catana Zapata. And glory be! Because here is a vineyard that delivers what it promises.

One of the last vineyards to be family owned (and also one of the first), Catena Zapata first grew roots in 1902 when Nicola Catena, an Italian immigrant, planted his first vineyard in Mendoza, Argentina. Today in its fourth generation, Zapata is one of the few vineyards that has not succumbed to an overseas injection of cash. Owned today by Nicolás Catena and his daughter Laura (an ER doctor with medical degrees from both Harvard and Stanford), Bodega Catena Zapata could be considered the granddaddy of fine wine from Argentina. A trained economist, Nicolás began his Argentinian wine revolution in the early 1980s, leading the way for many boutique wineries to flourish, notably those situated at high altitude. It would be no understatement to say that the dream duo of Vigil and Catena make some of the best wines in the world.

Bodega Catena Zapata is best known for its Malbecs which make up 46% of their xxxx bottle production. Of their wide range of wine, the top tier is the Catena Zapata line, which weighs in at a whopping €1,300 for a 2013 vintage and is practically a myth, so cult is its status. This wine includes four single vineyard wines from two of Catena’s vineyards, Nicasia and Arianna and is guaranteed to stand the test of time. It’s also the holder of Argentina’s most expensive wine title. The Malbec Argentino is also a worth considering, if only for its much more approachable price bracket (still about €80 a bottle regardless of vintage). Prices for both had been holding steady in the 24-months prior to Q2 2019.