Patagonia week continues and as somewhat of a surprise, this is a Catena-involved production. It's part of their commitment to expanding the Catena Institute's research beyond Mendoza and into other parts of Argentina/Mendoza. Apparently, it is a sublabel for the Altaland line. So that automatically ups the anticipation just a tad. Let's see how this experiment pans out.
Nose: Lovely. Traditional Malbec notes of plum and dark berry with minerality showing over time. A little bit of black pepper on the second pass. The spice becomes more present and the plum note slightly recedes into the background.
Palate: Leads with blackberry with the dark cherry, plum and spice coming up from below. Quite approachable with balanced acidity and grippy tannins. Continues on in this fashion with more pepper and minerality popping up.
Finish: Quite long. The minerality takes charge as the fruit notes subside. Savory, but nothing off-putting.
Overall, a sturdy, steady Malbec and one worth enjoying if handed a glass. I don't know about the price tag. I'm sure the labor cost is factored in, and these sorts of experiments come at a cost that needs to be recovered. But if this were priced just slightly above Catena's La Posta price range, it would be an absolutely killer reccommendation.
$30