Bright medium ruby. Vibrant aromas of blueberry, violet, licorice, spices and bitter chocolate; this really stands out among Catena's 2017 reds for its floral character. Juicy and tightly wound but not a bit hard, communicating a distinctly primary quality to its densely packed flavors of crushed black fruits, violet, bitter chocolate and minerals. Boasts terrific energy and penetrating grip for this special bottling, finishing dense and extremely long but not at all heavy, with serious but perfectly buffered tannins saturating the tongue and teeth. This really fills the olfactories! But lay this beauty down and forget about it for three or four years. My sample retained its verve for many days in the recorked bottle.

The approachable 2017 Nicolás Catena Zapata has a little more Cabernet Franc in the blend, even if the majority is Cabernet Sauvignon (and there is some Malbec). In 2017, they sourced Cabernet Sauvignon from Altamira and Gualtallary, and it fermented together with the juice of the Cabernet Franc. It has a touch of ripeness on the nose but without excess; it's balsamic, with the Cabernet dominating the aromatics. The palate comes through as really balanced and perhaps a little lighter. It has very fine tannins and a clean, focused finish. 78,000 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2018.