Catena Zapata Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec 2018
SKU
BCMA201817 UCAU
-
Perfect Vintage In Argentina
-
Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902
-
Textbook example of Agentinian Malbec done right!
-
1 or more bottles$375.00
Editors notes
Catena Zapata Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec 2018 is a wine that embodies the very best of Argentinian winemaking. This exceptional wine is made from the Malbec grape variety, which is renowned for producing wines with intense color, rich fruit flavors, and complex aromas.
The wine itself is deep purple in color, with aromas of blackberry, blueberry, and dark chocolate. On the palate, it is full-bodied and rich, with flavors of ripe black fruit, spice, and vanilla. The tannins are firm and silky, giving the wine a long and satisfying finish.
What truly sets Catena Zapata Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec 2018 apart is its exceptional aging potential. This wine has been aged in French oak barrels for 18 months, which has given it a subtle complexity and a refined elegance that is rarely found in a wine of this price range.
Details
-
Wine Type
-
Vintage
-
Variety
-
Brand
-
Location
-
Cellaring
-
Closure
-
Alcohol Percentage
-
Bottle Size
-
Oak Type
Food Pairings
-
Game -
Poultry -
Red Meat
Critic Scores & reviews
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
98"The 2018 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae started with a marked creamy and lactic note, reflecting a very young and tender wine that started with a lot of malic acid. It has lower alcohol and higher acidity than the other two Adrianna bottlings; it's vibrant and lively, nicely textured and surprisingly fresh. The creamy and lactic note disappeared after some time in the glass, giving way to fresher notes, almost citrus. They have also done a selection of individual plants, discarding some plants in lower parts, and the wine has gained in precision and freshness. They used a high percentage of full clusters and fermented it in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured it in used oak barrels for 18 months. In 2018, the three Adrianna bottlings have more defined character; the differences are more marked than in a year like 2017. This has to be among the finest vintages for the Mundus Bacillus Terrae. 4,800 bottles were filled in November 2019."
-
James Suckling
98"This is a really deep, decadent red, showing incredibly rich black soil, black olives and violets. Full body and rich tannins that exude power and intensity. Lots of white pepper and black fruit in the aftertaste. Extremely persistent. This is a bottle for the cellar. Try after 2024."
-
Vinous
97"Mundus Bacillus Terrae is a parcel of Malbec whose name pays homage to the rhizobacteria that live in symbiosis with the vines at 1,450 meters in the Adrianna vineyard. Three-quarters of the wine is fermented in concrete and the rest in foudres, followed by 18 months in French oak. The nose features violets and lavender with subdued notes of red fruit, but the wine only properly comes out in the mouth. It is pure texture with nervous tension and ripe but gentle, very Malbec-ish tannins that don’t impede the flow. The magic of this wine lies in its uniqueness, both in terms of style and as an approach to the variety. It is the questions it raises that make it truly compelling."
Other vintages
Love this wine? Here's a list of other vintages we have in stock if you'd like to try them as well.
Current auction
All current auctions for this wine & any different vintages.
Locations
Argentina
The wine industry in Argentina has had one of the fastest growth rates in the wine world and now claims to be the fifth largest wine producer in the world. Much like certain aspects of Argentine cuisine, the wine industry too has its roots in Spain. Vine cuttings were brought to Santiago del Estero in the 1600s. Up until the 1980s, Argentina was known for producing more 'quantity' wine over 'quality' wine, but that has changed with winemakers across the board lifting their game. There is no doubt that Malbec is the grape on which Argentina's international reputation as a wine-producing nation is founded. Whilst it is a difficult grape to grow, the climate and conditions around Mendoza and in particular the Uco Valley is ideally suited to producing world-class wine. The most popular varieties planted out in Argentina would be Bonarda, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Sangiovese, Syrah and Tempranillo.
Mendoza
Mendoza is by far the largest wine region in Argentina. Located on a high-altitude plateau at the edge of the Andes Mountains, the province is responsible for roughly 70 percent of the country's annual wine production. The French grape variety Malbec has its New World home in the vineyards of Mendoza, producing red wines of great concentration and intensity.
The province lies on the western edge of Argentina, across the Andes Mountains from Chile. While the province is large (it covers a similar area to the state of New York), its viticultural land is clustered mainly in the northern part, just south of Mendoza City. Here, the regions of Lujan de Cuyo, Maipu and the Uco Valley are home to some of the biggest names in Argentinian wine.
This soil in this region is alluvial with rocky subsoil. It possesses sediments of sand, silt and clay. Its little organic matter restraints the grapevine’s growth and this results in excellent quality grapes suitable for winemaking. Malbec wines from this area hold outstanding features; red and violet tones with great intensity.
About the brand Catena Zapata
“What is pleasing is to find such a famous winery refusing to rest upon its laurels looking forward and asking themselves questions about the style of wines they produce, what ought to be the next stage of their evolution, instead of merely replicating previous successes” - Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate
Over the past 20 years, Nicolás and Laura Catena and their vineyard management team have worked tirelessly in the discovery, identification and development of key microclimates in the high altitude wine country of Mendoza, Argentina. Nicolás determined that the same varietal, and even the same clone, presented distinct aromatic and flavor profiles when cultivated in each of these unique microclimates. Implementing the age old art of assemblage, he found that by blending these different lots of the same varietal, he could achieve a more complex wine.
As great artists tap their creative spirit to mix and match colors in the production of magnificent works of art, this wide array of distinct lot selections allows the winemaking team at Bodega Catena Zapata to engage in a creative, intricate process of blending in order to craft the final wine.
You May Also Like
Customer Reviews
Write Your Own Review