(Originally posted May 26, 2016)
As we gear up for the Great Wines of the Andes events in the USA (Sep 29-Oct 4) I thought back to some of the great producers we've met and interviewed. Here's one I recall fondly: Laura Catena, co-owner and managing director of Catena Zapata, discussing the variety of ways malbec can be expressed in Argentina. Catena Zapata will be at all four of our upcoming events: San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Miami, so you can taste their wonderful wines soon.
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From 2016:
Catena Zapata is one of the quality leaders in Argentine wine. For years, they have been working on defining Argentina's path and malbec seems to be the answer, but also chardonnay and cabernet franc. Just in this year's tasting report, they had no less than four wines in the top 10 scoring wines. They also have a research institute devoted to the study of their Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, in order to define every aspect of this unique site.
The Adrianna Vineyard is located at an altitude of 1,500 meters and covers 120 hectares of planted vineyards. This is where the grapes of the 100-points Adrianna Vineyard Malbec Mendoza Fortuna Terrae 2012 are grown; the wine shows incredible tension and an ethereal beauty akin to pinot noir. It is one of the finest expressions of malbec in Argentina.
In this video, Laura Catena, co-owner and general director of Catena Zapata, as well as founder of the Catena Institute, comments on the diversity of expressions of malbec found in Mendoza, which make malbec as chameleonic as pinot noir in Burgundy or nebbiolo in Piedmont.
Watch the video for the full insight.
