Bodegas Catena Zapata

Spring is in bloom right now South of the Equator.  As vineyards down there prepare for harvest in a couple months, we would like to show you some more info on one that stands out in our mind!!!

As with most great achievements throughout the history of man, vision and persistence stand as the cornerstones of great endeavors. Such is the case of the Catena winery of Argentina, the Malbec grape, and the story that lead to the establishment of a new "World class wine"- Argentine Malbec. Most of the great wines of the world are European, but through persistence and consistency, new World greats have come into being over the past several decades, such as Napa Cabernet and Barossa Shiraz. At the most recent turn of the century, the 100 year old vision that Nicola Catena had for Malbec in Argentina had reached fruition, and the wine world is the benefactor. Argentine Malbec is now widely considered one of the worlds' first class wines, providing an enjoyable drinking experience at every price point.

Due in large part to the dedication of the Catena family, in regards to clonal selection/vineyard management and commitment to quality, Argentina has become one of the most dynamic and innovative wine producing regions of the past 20 years. Showcasing Malbec (a lesser Bordeaux varietal/SW French grape, etc), but also doing well with many other varietals, Argentina represents one of the best cost-to-quality ratios of all the wine producing regions of the world. While most concerned with Malbec, the Catena winery has taken the approach that any varietal has a suitable microclimate in the high desert vineyards of Mendoza. Looking far more spectacular than our foothills here in Colorado, Argentine wine country is mostly nestled in the Andean high country(3,000-6,000 feet), where many varietals have found a beautiful new home.

Having found undeniable decadent pleasure from drinking Argentine wines for years, I could not recommend more the Catena Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Fans of big, rich extracted reds at reasonable prices will marvel at the balanced concentration of these two wines. Pure grace and style wearing a purple satin ball gown, much like the sexy people of Argentina. While the Catena winery offers several fantastic high-end offerings (inquire further), the not-so-simple 05 Catena Malbec, and 04 Cab Sauv are certainly two of the world's top 50 red wine values under $20.

Catena Wines Available at Superior Liquor


The Catena family began to make Alamos in 1993 as a second label to Catena. Alamos is sourced from some of the Catena family's younger vineyards in the best areas of Mendoza's high altitude wine country. Yields are kept low and all our vineyards are hand harvested. Our goal is to be true to our “house” style of rich and concentrated wines that have distinct varietal character.


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.

In 1994, Nicolás Catena made the first premium varietal Malbec to be exported world-wide from Argentina. It took fifteen years of vineyard research and three years of experimentation at the winery before Nicolas and daughter Laura could decide to bottle the first Catena Malbec. Over the next two years, head winemaker Jose Galante identified his best vineyard rows of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Malbec and made the first vintages of the Catena Alta wines in very small quantities. Catena Alta continues to be a limited production of single varietal wines made from a selected few rows in the Catena family's vineyards. These special barrels undergo a rigorous second selection at the winery. The Catena Alta wines can usually be drunk starting at three years after harvest and into the following one to two decades.