Deftly toasted with vanilla and mocha suavely intertwined with lush plum blackberry and boysenberry fruit. Long plush and smoky through the finish with the fruit taking an encore. A beauty. Drink now through 2008. 4000 cases made. –JM

The explosive aromatics of the 2002 Catena Alta Malbec reveal scents of waxy black fruits notes of fresh herbs roses and violets. Its seductively sweet medium to full-bodied character offers loads of cassis and plum-laden violets. This well-structured concentrated wine will be at its peak between 2006 and 2013. Importer: Billington Imports Inc. Springfield VA; tel. (703) 455-4700