The 2018 Nicolás Catena Zapata was produced with 65% Cabernet Sauvignon from Gualtallary (Adrianna vineyard, with the Cabernet Sauvignon interplanted with some Cabernet Franc) and 35% Malbec from Altamira (Nicasia vineyard). They no longer use grapes from Agrelo, and this is also a lot higher in Malbec than in other recent vintages. So, it has a very different profile, a change that started in 2017, with more contained ripeness and more freshness, and the wine is intense, keeping some of the Cabernet character (tobacco, blackberries) and the floral notes from Malbec. It comes through as balanced and harmonious, with very fine tannins and a long finish and perfect ripeness. This aims to revive the style of Bordeaux before phylloxera, from massal selection of ungrafted vines... 62,400 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2019.

The 2019 Nicolas Catena Zapata is a blend of 42% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Malbec and 28% Cabernet Franc from the Uco Valley and Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza. Having spent 18 months in new French barrels, it's garnet red in hue. The 2019 has a nose of cedar, expressive, dark fruit notes such as plum and blackcurrant, gentle traces of sweet spices and herbs and a hint of amaretti. Broad and velvety in the mouth with a juicy palate and a delicate tea-like texture, the grip lends essential structure. This is a subtle, complex red of long-lasting flavor to which the excellent year has brought an extra level of finesse.