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