Wine: ‘Argentino’ Malbec
Producer: Bodegas Catena Zapata
Country: Argentina
Region: Mendoza
Vintage: 2018
Style: Red
Blend: Malbec 100%
ABV: 14.5%
Size: 75cl
 
Notes: Put simply, Catena Zapata put premium Malbec on the map. Run by Nicolás Catena, who was the first South American to win ‘Decanter Man of the Year’, its high altitude wines are famed for their finesse.
Argentino is made from a meticulous vine selection in the best lots of the Catena family’s estate vineyards. These Zapata vines are carefully hand tended & produce extremely low yields. The grapes are micro-fermented in new French oak barriques & the wine is then aged for 24 months in new French oak. This wine is made in very limited quantities.
Saturated dark violet colour with ruby hints; the nose offers cassis, blueberries & violets, along with a suggestion of soil tones. It combines density & sweetness on the one hand, with gripping, lightly saline flavors of mocha, dark berries, spice, & minerals; a palate-filling finish dominated by sweet black & blue fruits. This is truly an exceptional wine from one of the world’s top producers.
 
About the Label: The epic tale of the noble Malbec grape is like no other & the label for Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino pays tribute to the variety’s history in France & its rise in Argentina. Four female figures embody different landmarks in the history of the grape. Eleanor of Aquitaine represents the birth of Malbec. She is a strong, Old World presence, lingering at the bridge in Cahors, where Malbec first came into its own. Next, the Immigrant symbolises the movement to the New World & the unknown explorers & adventurers who connected Europe with the Americas. Phylloxera personifies the death of Malbec in the Old World, which enabled its rebirth in the new. Finally, there is Bodega Catena Zapata, represented by Adrianna Catena, who depicts birth, earth, & motherhood, sharing the riches of the New World. Today, the Catena family’s fourth generation leads the high-altitude renaissance in Argentina.
 
Producer Info: The story of Bodega Catena Zapata is a tale that travels from 19th-century Italy to the limestone soils of Mendoza.
Nicola Catena, Nicolas Catena Zapata’s grandfather, sailed from Italy to Argentina in 1898, leaving behind his famine-stricken European homeland for a land of plenty & opportunity. In 1902, he planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza. Although Malbec had been a blending grape in Bordeaux, Nicola suspected it would find its hidden splendour in the Argentine Andes. It was a hunch that would not fully flower till nearly a century later.
Nowadays, it’s impossible to talk about Argentinean wine for more than a few minutes without someone mentioning either Nicolas Catena or one of his wines. No-one has done more to put Mendoza on the map, or to raise the profile of Malbec from Bordeaux reject to one of the world’s most fashionable grape varieties.
His journey to the top hasn’t been easy, however, & plenty of people were sceptical when Nicolas started planting Malbec at ever higher altitudes in the Andes. Eventually the results of his experiments spoke for themselves & others quickly followed in his footsteps. The family’s commitment to research & development continues apace with Nicolas’ daughter, Laura, now at the helm.
Laura, a biologist who graduated with honours from Harvard University, decided to instil in the winery team the method of research & study, what she calls “the science of understanding nature”. They created the Catena Institute of Wine, enabling the team to conduct research aimed at getting a better understanding of the Argentine terroir, the characteristics of Mendoza, & to study every aspect of their vineyards with the ultimate goal of making Argentine wines that can stand with the best of the world.