Mendoza - Catena Zapata 2.10.10

Catena Zapata is an interesting story. As one of the three high-end producers in Mendoza, they are probably the most popular / well known globally as well as nationally. Catena Zapata is considered the Mondavi of Argentina. This is one of the original wine making families in Argentina and they are the pioneers of this industry. I say this because Catena Zapata was the first to break with Argentine wine making traditions to produce a new world styled wine to compete in the global markets. So what do I mean by this? Well, the Argentine methods were closely tied to old world methods. Traditional wine making techniques, neutral barrels, and with earthier tones. During the 1980's Nicolas Catena began to change the wine making philosophy by identifying and selecting specific locations to plant vineyards and by producing wines that were more forward. The result is something very unique in Argentina: the production of two styles / lines of wines. They produce wines to be sold and marketed exclusively in Argentina and wines for the Rest of World market.

The Argentine line consists of four labels: Catena Zapata, Angelica Zapata, D.V. Catena, and Saint Felicien (recently separated into a subsidiary company and not to be co-branded as a Zapata label). The Rest of World line consists of three labels: Catena Zapata (different vineyards than the Argentine version), Catena Alta, and Catena. Today, the wines from both markets are closer in style than they originally were. The similarity was explained to us as a result of shifting Argentine palettes and trends.

We were fortunate enough to have a private tour, again thanks to our friends at Peay and their contacts. At the more popular wineries, having a personalized visit is a must. You get to avoid the masses and are provided an insider's view into the property and wines. As far as Catena Zapata, they have a state of the art facility. The building itself looks like a Mayan temple but inside and underground it is exquisite.

The tasting room overlooks a couple of hundred barrels.

Stainless steel fermentation tanks which are accessed via a labyrinth of catwalks.

These barrels are larger than traditional barrels and are on rollers so that they can be turned for racking purposes. Part of the ongoing efforts by Catena Zapata is to stretch boundaries in the wine making process.

A staircase in the center of the winery stretches from top (rooftop deck) to bottom.

For the tasting, we opted for the Argentine wines. We tasted three wines from the Angelica Zapata line: Chardonnay, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc. From the global line we also tasted a Catena Zapata (Nicolas - Cabernet and Malbec blend).

Chardonnay 2005 - Single vineyard selection from the Adrianna parcel. Oak is all we have to say about this one, which makes sense as it spends 16 months in new oak. This reminded us more of a California (Napa Valley) Chardonnay than an old world White Burgundy.

Cabernet Franc 2003 - 100% Cabernet Franc. Reminded me of a Larkin Cabernet Franc from Napa Valley. Full bodied but not fruit forward. We enjoyed this wine over two days as it continued to evolve.

Malbec 2005 - This was a blend from 5 vineyards. Needed more time in the bottle. Nothing really stood out. Perhaps some tannins but all Mendoza wines are in altitude which creates wines with tannins.

Blend 2006 (Nicolas Catena) - Sorry no picture for this one. We got hints of rosemary on the palete. It was a day old bottle with plenty of kick. Unfortunately, I could not see how this could price at USD100. Perhaps over time this wine evolves.

Recap:

Winery

Catena Zapata, Argentina and Rest of World Labels, Should Visit

Wines

Argentina Label - Angelica Zapata

2005 Chardonnay, QPR High, USD15

2005 Malbec, QPR Mid, USD29

2003 Cabernet Franc, QPR Very High, USD29, Wish we could get this in the US!

Rest of World Label - Catena Zapata

2006 Nicolas Catena Cabernet Sauvignon / Malbec Blend, QPR Mid, USD100

Wines we bought to drink

2003 Cabernet Franc

Contacts

www.catenawines.com

Mendoza - Mendel 2.10.10

Mendel is a true boutique winery in the Lujan de Cuyo district of the Mendoza region. They produce four wines; Blend 'Unus', Malbec (Finca Remota - extremely limited and the basico), and Semillon (new for 2009) for a total of approximately 5000 cases annually. The head wine maker is the well respected Argentine Roberto de la Mota and an old Argentine family (Jewish / Italian) maintains the majority ownership of the winery.

The winery itself is located on a dirt road which runs parallel to RT40 off of the main exit in Lujan. If you drive by too fast you would mistake it for a home and not a winery.

In fact, they operate in the original adobe structure from the early 1900's. It has been retrofitted on the inside and the original cement fermentation tanks are now used to store barrels.


Though we were over half an hour late for our tour and tasting, we were still warmly greeted by Cecilia (head of tourism). She had already completed the tour but asked us to join the tasting and then we would tour afterwards.


The tasting consisted of the Semillon 2009, Unus 2007 (yet to be released), two Malbecs (yet to be released 2008 and yet to be bottled 2009). Unfortunately, our tasting notes were lost for this visit so our comments are very limited. One thing to note is that we really enjoyed the energy of Cecilia and the conviction of the limited production process at Mendel. That alone made it a favorite for us.



Semillon 2009 - We thought it had similar features to a Sauvignon Blanc such as citrus flavors but perhaps not as crisp and more rounded.













Unus 2007 - Young and full of tannins. They are currently on the 2006 release so it should show much better upon release. Though our recommendation is buy the 2004 now and enjoy over the next 5 years.


Malbec 2008 - Young but good structure. This wine will be released this summer.


Malbec 2009 - A baby. I could not tell you from this tasting if the wine will be good or bad upon release. Side by side, the 2008 was darker in color with structure and body that the 2009 did not posses.



Though we did not try the 2004 at the winery, it had received 93 points from Wine Spectator. Based on 2007 tasting, I decided that it would worth the gamble. For USD43, this ended up being one of our more expensive purchases in Mendoza but it was well worth it. They blend 30% Cabernet Sauvignon into this wine which really adds depth and balance to the red fruits that a Malbec displays.





As noted above, the Malbec 2008 bottles had not even been capped or labeled when we toured the winery.

The highlight from the tour outside of the history of the winery and antique wine making equipment was the discussion about their flood irrigation practices. They focus on a very controlled irrigation process block by block to manage the size and intensity of the berries.

For Dagny, the highlight was negotiating the Malbec berries tasting!

Recap:

Winery

Lujan de Cuyo, Small Production, Strick Farming Practices, MUST VISIT

Wines

Finca Remota, Not tasted so no QPR

Unus 2007, QPR High (but cellar for a few years upon release)

Malbec 2008 and 2009, QPR High

Semillon 2009, QPR Mid

What we bought to drink

Unus 2004, USD43, QPR Very High (cellar worthy)

Contacts

bodega@mendel.com.ar

http://www.mendel.com.ar/en/index_en.html

Mendoza - O. Fournier 2.09.10

Traveling... Writer's block... Vacation mode... Wine Detox... You pick! But we are back on the blogging trail.

O. Fournier is a gravity flow winery owned by a Spaniard and his Argentine wife. They also own a primary property in Ribera del Duero, Spain along with two smaller properties in Chile (Maule and San Antonio valleys).

Pictured below is the main facility in the Uco Valley (2 hours south of Mendoza - middle of nowhere):

It has extensions on two sides which house the restaurant and primary barrell storgage facilities. With all three being connected via walkways in the underground cavern. This is a three level facility. Grapes are trucked to the first level and processed into the stainless steel tanks for fermentation. The tanks are on the second level (at ground level) and then the barrels are underground. No pumping at all.

As far as the wines go, they produce over 1 million liters of wine. They have four labels; Urban, B Crux, Alpha Crux, and O Fournier. The Urban label is their 'basico' brand (this is the common term used by all the wineries in the region for the introductory line which accounts for a large majority of the bottles produced). Urban is a fun brand which produces 6 different wines. Naturally, the owner being a Spaniard, Tempranillo plays a large roll in the first three labels. In terms of varietals produced by O. Fournier: Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Torrontes (national white), Tempranillo, Syrah, and Malbec. They also grow Merlot and Cabernet for blending purposes.

For the Urban line, we tried the Malbec 2007 which was fabulous (USD6):

For those who read the details from my initial post (Lima), this wine is a classic example of a fruit forward (not overpowering and with a hint of caramel), inexpensive, and easy to drink Malbec. We were told you can find this at Costco. So for all you Costco lovers (and haters), this may be a reason to make a visit to the local store.

Also in our tasting we had the B Crux Sauvignon Blanc 2008 and the B Crux Blend (Tempranillo, Malbec, Merlot, Syrah) 2003 (USD14):

Think white grapefruit for the Sauvignon Blanc. We found this to be a very exciting white for a hot summer day.

The Blend was still a bit tight. We also found it green at the end of the palette but with a hint of cotton candy. This could mean that they picked the Tempranillo (60% of the blend) a bit too early for this vintage. Wine Spectator gave it a 91. We do not agree.

The last wines in our tasting were two from the Alpha Crux label; Blend 2002 and Malbec 2006 (USD28):

Blend was excellent. Round and full bodied. Flavor profile was tobacco and red cherry. Wine Spectator gave it a 93 and it was also #86 of the 2006 Top 100. For the value, get it now. Still has plenty of legs on it to last 5 more years.

Malbec was good. Not fruit forward but still young. It was light on the palate but with plenty of tannins. This wine sucked the moisture from our mouths.

We did not try the O. Fournier line. This is an exclusive line, very limited (the owner controls every single sale), and the prices jump. The focus is Syrah, of which I am a huge fan, but we really wanted wines to drink now and I felt like these would need more time in the cellar given our experience with the B and Alpha Crux wines.

Anyway, our tour was excellent. We were fortunate enough to have our friends at Peay put us in touch with the US distributor which, in turn, got us a personal invite from the chairmain of the group (Jose Manuel Ortega) and a private tour. The tour was handled by Eugenia (tourism manager).

After the tour, we had our best meal in the Mendoza region. This was compliments of Jose's wife who is a trained chef. There were 5 courses paired expertly with their wines; Urban Torrontes for steak tartar, B Crux Sauvignon Blanc for "sobrasda" wrapped in philo, Urban Malbec for vichissoise - potato and leek soup, and B Crux and Alpha Crux wines with the pickled rabbit (pictured below) or risotto with beet roots. [Kara's addition: Following the main course, we were served an excellent sorbet made from their Torrontes wine followed by a deconstructed dessert that consisted of a scoop of chocolate ganache, a piece of chocolate brownie/cake, a small glass of goat cheese cream and a few dots of tabasco on the plate. Sounds like a weird combo but the flavors were a perfect combo. The goat cheese cream tasted like melted goat cheese, which added the perfect amount of cream and salt to the sweet ganache and brownie. The tabasco added some pleasant heat but the flavor was a bit off. I think that wasabi would have been a better addition as it would add the heat without the flavor]. We paid USD94 (for the both of us) for this meal and tasting combined!

One thing I failed to mention. This visit was on Dagny's 1st birthday (February 9th). She had a great time. We were on the first level of the winery when the Sauvignon Blanc grapes came in from the harvest so her cake was a plate of grapes.

Recap:

Winery

Uco Valley, Gravity Flow, MUST VISIT

Wines

Urban Malbec 2007, USD6, QPR Very High

Urban Torrontes 2009, USD6, QPR High

B Crux Sauvignon Blanc 2008, USD14, QPR High

B Crux Blend 2003, USD14, QPR Mid to Low

Alpha Crux Blend 2002, USD28, QPR Very High (cellar worthy)

Alpha Crux Malbec 2006, USD28, QPR Mid to High (needs more time)

What we bought to drink

Urban Malbec 2007

B Crux Sauvignon Blanc 2008

Alpha Crux Blend 2002

Restaurant

5 course meal plus wine pairings, USD94 (per couple), QPR Very High

Contacts

turismo@ofournier.com

www.ofournier.com

Buenos Aires

Antares is the national micro brew. Started by a couple of dudes on some beach town south of Buenos Aires (BA). The scotch ale pictured here was pretty good. We tried a couple of others without much success. But the guys at Antares seem to have hit on something with their people as they have opened over a dozen brew pubs in the country.

BA was the official start of our wine journey. And what a better way to do it than to hit up a retail shop in the tony part of town. Grand Cru in Recoleta was our first of two retail shop visits once we actually sorted out our map and guide book. After entering the premises via the secure entrance (a buzzer just to let us in the door), we were warmly greeted by the staff. They promptly gave us a run down of the layout so that we could peruse. The shop offered a vast selection of Argentine wines along with a small selection of imported wines. As a side note, a bottle of 2004 Argiano Brunello di Montalcino was going for USD150 which is more than 3 times what you pay in the US and Italy. As far as our Argentine selections, we went for the middle of the road to start.

Riglos Gran Malbec 2007 for USD30

Dona Paula Seleccion de Bodega Malbec 2006 for USD49

Not much to say on these wines. In fact, we think the Riglos was skunked or about to be. Dona Paula was evolved beyond pure red fruit with a hint of earth. Neither were memorable but I did promise pictures!

When travelling with baby, some things we just can't or don't want to do. In particular, I prefer for her to sleep through the night and keeping her up too late creates some discontent. So we opted for lunch spots rather than dinner spots. Unfortunately, our friends at Fodor's have not updated their guide in about 5 years which led us to non-existent spots on a handful of occasions. Might as well have bought a Michelin Guide! Anyway, we did manage to find a French bistro as noted by Fodor's in the Monserrat barrio (north of San Telmo). Go figure, a French joint (Brasserie Petanque) in an aptly named French neighborhood. But we were in luck. Good food (rabbit in a dijon mustard sauce), good atmosphere (French owner and with a nice demeanor - must not be Parisian), and a nice bottle of wine.

Fabre Montmayou Grand Vin 2006 for USD46: Malbec, Cab Sav, and Merlot blend.

After lunch, we continued on our self-guided tour of the barrios near the center of BA. On our way to Puerto Madero (think Dublin docks), we came across our second wine shop, Winery Vinoteca. This is a chain but it does offer a fairly good selection and though I did not compare prices with Grand Cru, I was happy to find a nice bottle of Pinot Noir from Patagonia. For those who read Wine Spectator, the November issue (I think) had a write up on Bodega Chacra. This is a winery in Patagonia owned by an Italian family which produces high-end Pinot Noirs. Naturally, they come with steep price tags (north of USD100 - if you can find it). But they do produce an introductory label, Barda.

Barda Pinot Noir 2008 for USD35: Not a California and not a Red Burgundy but somewhere in the middle.

So this was a quick write up with pictures for you to enjoy. The final picture below comes from one of the many mausoleums at the Recoleta cemetery.

Recap:

Beer

Antares - national micro brew

Quilmes - national Budweiser

Otro Mundo - micro brew

Wine

Riglos Gran Malbec 2007, Grand Cru, USD30, No QPR

Dona Paula Seleccion de Bodega 2006, Grand Cru, USD49, Low QPR

Fabre Montmayou Grand Vin 2006, Brasserie Petanque, USD46, High QPR (available retail for USD38 - Moore Brothers Wine Co)

Barda Pinot Noir 2008, USD35, High QPR (when faced with the choice between the first label, Chacra)

Wine Shops

Grand Cru, Recoleta

Winery Vinoteca, Monserrat

Restaurants

Brasserie Petanque, Monserrat

Lima

Peru has done an incredible job of showcasing their authentic styles of cooking to the world. A prime example for many of you is La Mar on the Embarcadero. The original is Lima (capital of Peru) which we frequent every trip. Unlike the SF version, this joint is for lunch though prices aren't exactly discounted to local standards. Regardless, a must when you travel to Peru. And when in Lima, check out a handful of other Gaston Acurio joints like Astrid y Gaston (peruvian fushion), Panchita (grilled meats), and Tanta (tapas). His business model has evolved to franchising and I am certain he is making a good buck. None or little risk and a cut from the house.

So let's start with beer. Beer in Peru is very localized. In Arequipa, you get Arequipena. In Cusco, you find Cusquena. Trujillo offers a Pilsen Trujillo that cannot be found in the south. In Lima, you guessed it... Cristal. On hot and muggy days, you cannot go wrong with Cristal. Think Corona. In fact, throw a limon (peruvian lime similar to a key lime) into it and you hit the jack pot.

Why mention beer? Well because Peruvian wine makes Traders Joe's Charles Shaw (two buck chuck) taste like a 1st growth Bordeaux. However, you can find imported wines primarily from Argentina and Chile. Spanish wines are also common but that ends any sort of reasonable QPR (quality price ratio). US and French wines are priced through the roof and the Peruvians have really not mastered the concept of cellaring (even in retail shops). So for example, at Wong (one of three main supermarket chains in Peru) you will find a bottle of 2001 Lafite in the wine cellar for about USD1000. Problem is that the cellar temperature is 75 degrees. In fact, it is cooler in the main store. Now there are wine shops that do specialize and take a certain degree of care but the bottom line is that this country is not in the business of selling imported wines. Not to knock on the supermarkets because you can find very good deals and that is were we start this blog.

Andeluna 2008 Malbec at Wong on 'super discount' for 28 Nuevo Soles (USD10). This was a good omen because I had overlooked Andeluna when researching the hundreds of wineries in the Mendoza region. Like most young malbecs this was fruit forward (red fruit) but it was very approachable and ready to drink. Next up was the Andeluna Reserve Malbec (ARM) 2005 and 2006 which we drank in sequence while having dinner with my sister and her husband at Panchita. The sommelier and I discussed a few other options but we kept coming back to the Andeluna 2005 primarily because we were looking for a more balanced wine. Do not look for young malbecs to provide balance and finish. The current fad with young Argentine malbecs reminds me very much of the Australian shiraz craze from the 90's in the US. Easy wines on the palate and a bit high in alcohol content which the every day consumer can enjoy. And there are many today that I would not overlook as they are great for larger parties or guests that perhaps are not as particular (for example, my best friend has no issues having a Bud Light in one hand and a glass of 2001 Quintessa in the other).

Aged malbecs or blends from Argentina are what really interest me. Argentine wines are not known to be age worthy but I believe that a change has already started and we will see the high end wines (in particular, the blends) age well. So back to the ARM sequential tasting. The 05 was outstanding, for 250 Nuevo Soles (USD88) it may not have been a QPR candidate except that this was from the restaurant list. The 06 was fair to good but not worth the same price we paid for the 05. How they compared:

05 - Earthy and full bodied. This wine took 30-45 minutes to open up. If available at a retail store, I would expect this to be USD35-40.

06 - Very fruit forward and tight. This wine was not ready to be consumed. After about 30 minutes it did begin to settle down a bit. But a complete contrast to the 05.

Outside of the Andeluna discovery, we also enjoyed a nice bottle of a Matetic 2008 Sauvignon Blanc. Matetic is a Chilean outfit from the Casablanca region west of Santiago that is beginning to get some acclaim. Our take was green apples. We enjoyed this at Pescados Capitales which is two blocks from La Mar on the same street and is the old stalwart in the area. Excellent ceviche! Lastly, we had sushi at Osaka in San Isidro (one of many districts in Lima) and shared of bottle of the Protos 2007 Verdejo. A nice crisp wine which paired well with the wasabi.

Next up Buenos Aires. The blog will get shorter (I hope) and pictures will come your way too!

Recap (for those who don't value my journalist prowess):

Beer

Cristal - Lima (think Corona and add a limon)

Trujillo Pilsen - Trujillo

Arequipena - Arequipa

Cusquena - Cusco

Wine

Andeluna Malbec 2008, Wong Supermarket, USD10, High QPR

Andeluna Reserve Malbec 2005, Panchita by Gaston Acurio, USD88, Good QPR (assume USD35-40 retail)

Andeluna Reserve Malbec 2006, Panchita, USD88, Low QPR

Matetic Sauvignon Blanc 2008, Pescados Capitales, USD53, Low QPR

Protos Verdejo 2007, Osaka, USD30, Low-Mid QPR (I think this is USD10 retail)

Restaurants

La Mar

Pescados Capitales

Panchita

Tanta

Osaka

Introduction

So here we are. Or there we were. You call it as you see it. Kara took this shot while we were finishing up a long tour and tasting at Catena Zapata on the second day of scheduled visits in the Mendoza region. I use this term loosely because the Mendoza region is huge. On the first day, we drove 2 hours south from Gran Mendoza (the city) to visit O. Fournier (more to come on this). Today, we visited two bodegas: Mendel and Catena Zapata. Both are within a 30 minute drive south of Gran Mendoza in Lujan de Cuyo (hit up google maps if you want to know the nitty gritty). Of course, it took is over an hour to find Mendel. Nothing like having no cell, no detailed map, and a Fiat 1.4L POS to tackle the dirt roads. Anyway, Dagny didn't seem to mind as she slept through most of the journey. I digress...

So let's start over...

What is this blog about? Well, the goal is to share with you our experiences as we discover wines from all over the world with Dagny in tow. Sounds bold, huh? I suppose it is considering she is a year old (as of yesterday, 9 Feb) and we are basically one year behind in creating this blog. Dagny's first taste of wine country was a weekend getaway we took to Calistoga when she was six weeks old. Between then and now, she has been to Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, San Francisco (Crushpad), and Carmel Valley. Add in a handful of wine dinners, visits to retailers, and tasting events. You get the picture. Child may dictate some terms of our daily lives but not all terms...

So how will this blog work? We will post recaps of wine experiences as we are traveling locally or globally. The posts will not be limited to 'winery' visits. They will include wines we come across at restaurants, grocery stores, wine stores, tasting rooms, friends houses, etc., etc. And, yes, we will throw in a splash of beer to boot. Perhaps some liquor too!

For now. Welcome to our blog and stay tuned!