John Chawluk

9.2

Surprisingly excellent wine at Wyndham in Rio Mar — 21 days ago

with Scotti

carmen

9.8

Spicy, tannic and slightly acidic medium body Georgian red. It’s almost carbonic with notes of cherry, plum and clove — paired with jamon iberico — 3 months ago

Cary Fisher

9.3

The best Malbec I have enjoyed in years. A lot going on. Velvety. — 7 months ago

Scott@Mister A’s-San Diego

9.2

2018 vintage. Léoville-Poyferré-involved concern. 73% Malbec 18% Cabernet Sauvignon 5% Petit Verdot 3% Syrah 1% Cab Franc. 100% delicious. Medium/medium-heavy body. Nice balance of grip/zip and sleeko suave. Can hold its own in a street fight now or be the scheduled, 12-round, main event in 2040-your choice. $28.85 resto cost on 3 cases. 14.5% ABV. Definite big red blend value contender. 04.13.25. — 10 months ago

"Odedi"

9.1

Deep ruby in color with a wide reddish rim.

Strong nose of black currants, plums, oak, dark chocolates, earth, tobacco leaf, herbs, eucalyptus, light vegetables and black pepper.

Medium plus in body with medium acidity.

Dry on the palate with black currants, black plums, cooked cherries, spices, chocolates, oak, licorice, light cola, vegetables and peppercorn.

Medium finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries.

This 8 year old Malbec based blend from the house of Cheval Blanc is starting to drink very nicely now. Feels like a Right Bank Bordeaux.

Soft, smooth and elegant. Rich and fruit forward. Nicely balanced with a nice mouthfeel. Complex and interesting.

Needed 90 minutes in the decanter to open up properly, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. Would be nice to revisit it in 5 years.

Wine Advocate 97 points.

Good by itself as a sipping wine or with food.

A blend of 62% Malbec and 38% Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged in (50% new) French oak barrels for 15 months.

14% alcohol by volume.

91 points.

$110. — a month ago

Alessandro Dalle Carbonare

9.7

This is a really serious wine. This year Cheval des Andes has the highest proportion of Cabernet Sauvignon than ever before. And this made it turned out into an incredibly complex and especially deep wine. Wow! Serious and great. — 5 months ago

Freddy R. Troya

9.3

Bodega Catena Zapata — Angelica Zapata Alta Malbec 2021 — Mendoza, Uco Valley. Argentina 🇦🇷

Overview:
Crafted entirely from Malbec by the Catena Zapata family, whose first Malbec vines were planted in Mendoza in the early 1900s, this bottling represents the high-quality mid-tier of the Catena portfolio. The wine delivers aromatic lift, layered fruit depth, and polished structure, bridging everyday drinkability with serious pedigree.

Aromas & Flavors:
Medley berries, ripe plum, baked blueberry, dark chocolate, subtle herbal tones, and violet floral notes.

Mouthfeel:
Creamy and rounded with refined tannins, excellent depth, and balanced concentration. The palate remains generous yet composed, finishing long with polish and freshness.

Food Pairings:
Grilled flank steak, chimichurri lamb, mushroom empanadas, short ribs, aged semi-hard cheeses, roasted vegetables.

Personal Pick:
This is one of those bottles I trust blindly — expressive, consistent, and always overdelivering for the category. A perfect “decant-and-enjoy” Malbec when I want both pleasure and structure in the glass.

Verdict:
A polished, expressive Malbec offering depth, perfume, and excellent value from a benchmark Argentine producer.

🍷 Did You Know?:
The Catena family pioneered high-altitude Malbec plantings in the Uco Valley, proving that elevation dramatically improves freshness, aromatic precision, and tannin finesse in Argentine wines. — 9 months ago

VA

8.9

Drinking in 2025 — a month ago

Jeremiah Diaz

9.2

Clear, medium ruby in color; on the nose, it's clean with pronounced primary and secondary aromas of red plums, black currants, hibiscus, and red pepper flakes; on the palate, it's dry with high acidity, medium tannins, medium alcohol, medium body, and pronounced primary and secondary flavors of tart cherries, red currants, pencil shavings, and smoked paprika with a long finish. This wine is complex and intense. Overall, I rate this wine as very good. Nellie says it's ok. — 2 months ago

with Nellie

Sipping Fine Wine

9.4

Sourced from a vineyard at 1,100 metres in Paraje Altamira, deep Ruby with aromas of black fruits, herb, leather and spice. On the palate flavors of black cherry and blackberries with citrus, leather and spice, fine tannins, well balanced long finish ending with an earthy mineral and tobacco spice character. Nice! — 8 months ago