My buddy Lloyd and I have shared so many good bottles together, he has such a good cellar, and we have bought so many wines together, that when we get together I really have to rack my brain to come up with something (a) good and (b) something he has not already had. Perhaps Catena's top Malbec bottling?The 2006 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino left me a little flat at first - some cooked meat on the nose, then ripe, dark blackberries, sweet cocoa, black earth and liquorice - simple at first, but opening nicely as the evening progressed (I am afraid we "sipped" rather hastily...). A very long finish - well over a minute of soft crushed velvet and rich cocoa - rich, complex and beautifully textured - clearly needed more time to show its stuff
Cork. 14.5% alcohol
Score: 17.5+/20
Price: C$ 85 (SAQ)
Lloyd had no similar difficulty in impressing me, fielding a half-bottle of exquisite Bolgheri (details to follow). Smokey crisp cherries, lead pencil, rose and sandalwood, old oak and tobacco...very impressive nose. So crisp, with silky tannins and surprising length - made me think of really good Chianti bottlings. Gorgeous!
Cork. 13.5% alcohol
Score: 18/20
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