I also had the chance to taste the 2016 Catena Alta Malbec, when they used a higher percentage of grapes from Nicasia. In this vintage, it's truly 100% Malbec that fermented in tank with full clusters and finished fermenting after pressing, without skins. It's serious and elegant, with the year's signature freshness. 2016 has really marked the wines with great freshness. This is serious and with zero sweetness, complete and direct. 42,000 bottles produced.

Bright medium ruby. Lively black fruit aromas are accented by pepper and violet notes. In a juicier, leaner style than the 2015 version but still a seamless wine, offering noteworthy intensity and purity and a sexy touch of sweetness to its flavors of black fruits, bitter chocolate and violet. This wine currently shows less dimension than the 2015 version but it still needs another year or two in bottle to expand. Finishes with a light dusting of tannins and lingering notes of violet and chocolate.