Nicolas Catena D.V. Tinto Historico 2019

The Catena family has been making wine in Mendoza since 1902, when Argentinian wine pioneer Nicolas Catena first saw the potential in the Andes mountains vineyards for producing super high quality Malbec.

Eventually, winemaking duties were transferred away from the Catenas to the self-described restless winemaker Alejandro Vigil, a transition that has made all the difference for the iconic winery. Since Alejandro’s tenure started in 2007, he has seen over 50(!) wines rated 95 points or higher from all the big publications including The Wine Advocate, Wine Spectator, James Suckling and the Wine Enthusiast and twice been awarded Winery of the Year from both Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits

But his secret sauce isn’t what you may think… it’s actually data.

With the help of Nicolas Catena’s daughter, Laura, the two have studied their vineyard’s numbers and yields for the past 30 years plot by plot, revealing what each parcel brings to the table, how soil comes into and what each elevation does to the wine. Their new more scientific approach has been paying dividends.