Catena Malbec 2009

The 2009 Catena Malbec was aged in 35% new French and American barriques for 14 months. Balsam wood, earthy minerals, spice box, lavender, and black cherry aromas compose the winersquo;s inviting bouquet. Spicy and savory in the glass, with ample black cherry and black raspberry flavors, this nicely proportioned Malbec is an outstanding value meant for drinking over the next 4ndash;5 years.

Bright ruby-red. Blackberry, redcurrant, licorice, violet and pepper on the nose, plus a whiff of game. Creamy, concentrated and sweet, with a seamless texture to the high-toned blackberry and saline flavors. Offers a thickness of texture and a well-judged sugar/acid balance. Finishes quite long, with very suave tannins.

Wines like this have defined and propelled Malbec mania. Itrsquo;s ripe, bold and firm, with welcoming berry aromas and a powerful but healthy palate of ripped black cherry, berry and cola flavors. In the mix and on the finish yoursquo;ll find coffee and mocha. Drink now and over the next two years.

Deep purple in color and liberally oaked, but that fits the program at Catena. The bouquet is burly and shows hickory, marmalade and toast, while the palate revolves around boisterous blueberry and boysenberry flavors along with wood smoke and integrated tannins. Itrsquo;s extracted but balanced, and the finish is sweet yet rustic. Drink now through 2011.

Bright ruby-red. Dark berries, graphite and nutty oak on the very ripe nose, with a distinctive peppery lift. The palate offers an almost exotic sweetness to the lush, seamless flavors of macerated dark fruits, mocha and dark chocolate. Not the last word in complexity but pliant, generous and full in the mouth, finishing with lush tannins and an almost exotic liqueur-like quality. This is drinkable already. Some tasters may find this too sweet for a Catena wine.

The 2008 Malbec dark ruby red in color, it delivers an alluring bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, and black cherry. Smooth textured, spicy, and easy-to understand, this pleasure-bent Malbec is an outstanding value for drinking over the next 4ndash;6 years. Catena Zapatarsquo;s newest releases continue the high standards established by this Bodega virtually from its onset, a tribute to Nicolas Catena who continues to oversee his empire.

Smoky but also sort of salinic on the nose, with pumped-up berry and black currant aromas. The palate is chewy and a bit heavy, with dark berry, cassis and peppery flavors. Heavy, sultry and black on the finish, with a lasting syrupy sweetness. Should be appealing to most Malbec fans.