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The inaugural 1997 vintage of this Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend set a new standard of quality for wines from South America when it won a series of blind tastings against first growths and other prestigious cuvees from around the world. In 1898, Nicola Catena left his homeland of Italy, and sailed for the land of plenty and opportunity: Argentina. It wasn't long before Nicola planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. Although traditionally used as a blending grape in Bordeaux, Nicola believed in the potential of Malbec as a single varietal wine, and suspected that it might uncover its hidden splendour in the cooler climes of the Andes. Flash forward a few decades, to where Nicola's grandson, Nicolas Catena Zapata, has taken over the management of the business. He sold off the bulk producing parts of the company, focusing instead on producing premium Mlabec and Cabernet. To that end, he began searching for the best sites in Mendoza to plant. In 1992, he settled on Gualtallary Alto - the highest and moste Western part of Tupungato. Today, the wines of Bodega Catena Zapata are sourced from six historic estate vineyards: Angélica, La Pirámide, Nicasia, Domingo, Adrianna and Angélica Sur.

This legendary Cabernet Sauvignon is intensely perfumed and finely structured with cassis-blackcurrant aromas, hints of cedar and touches of violet. The oak and fruit are neatly balanced. Typically the fruit is hand-picked, de-stemmed into open tanks and hand-plunged four times a day until completion of fermentation. At the end of vinification, the wine is allowed to macerate for around 10 to 14 days prior to pressing off into barrel. The wine is matured in 30% new and seasoned French oak barriques for 24 months.

The bouquet is layered with abundant aroma's of plum pudding, cigar box, blackberries & chocolate. It has an excellent length of flavour, velvety tannins and hints of smoky oak. 71% Shiraz and 29% Cabernet Sauvignon are separately fermented & matured in a combination of new French & American oak before final blending.

Chateau Pape Clement located in Pessac Léognan is part of Bernard Magrezs stable of estates. The 32.5 ha vineyard is planted to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot on gravel, sandy and clay soils. Fruit is handpicked and hand sorted before undergoing a cool pre-ferment maceration and whole berry fermentation in wooden vats. Each parcel is fermented separately. The wines are manually punched down and run off into 100% new French oak barriques where they mature for 18-20 months. Bernard Magrez is credited with turning around quality at the Chateau, including introducing rigourous vineyard selection and implementing state-of-the art winemaking. As a result, Chateau Pape Clement is now considered one of the finest producers in Pessac-Léognan.

Small piece of Bordeaux trivia - Chateau Leoville-Barton has no chateau to speak of! In fact, all wines are made at its sister property, Chateau Langoa Barton, which is the storybook chateau pictured on the label. Once part of a much larger estate - in fact the largest in St Julien - Chateau Leoville-Barton has been under the ownership of the Barton family since 1722. In their hands, traditional winemaking techniques remain integral to production - certainly more so than many other modern Bordeaux estates. Leoville-Barton Bordeaux is famous for its traditional, beefy, and strapping style with an excellent reputation for ageing, making them particularly attractive additions to any wine cellar.

Alter Ego is the second wine of Chateau Palmer and is widely considered one of the best value wines in Margaux. A fragrant and lush style, designed for earlier drinking, Alter Ego displays vibrant cassis fruit, supple tannins and a round plush mouth-feel. Maturation takes place in a 25-40% new French oak barriques for 18 months.