Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016 - 86

TOP 100 WINERIES 2016

A RGENTINA M ENDOZA

Xxxxxxx
Alejandro
Xxxxxx
Vigil

Catena Zapata
In its 11th appearance as a Top 100 Winery, Catena offers a range of
deliciously fresh, high-altitude, single-vineyard malbecs, as well as a
new line of more affordable "village" wines from Mendoza.
Four Generations: Four years after Nicola Catena migrated from Italy
to Argentina in 1898, he began producing wines in Mendoza. Almost
a century later, his grandson, Nicolás Catena, was determined to
make this winery one of the most important in Argentina, and a key
player in promoting Argentine wine in the world. He based his operations in Agrelo, the viticultural heart of Mendoza, where he built a
winery modeled after a Mayan pyramid, with extensive cellars spreading underground.
Cabernet Surrounding the Pyramid: Winemaker Alejandro Vigil has been
a pivotal force in Catena's ascent since he came to work at the winery
in 2003. Nicolás Catena and his daughter Laura encouraged Vigil to
investigate the terroir of Mendoza, starting with their old vines and
then with the fruit from the new vineyards, planted at high elevations in the Uco Valley. Vigil uses these vines, planted during the early
1980s, to produce Catena Zapata Nicolás Catena Zapata. His 2011 is
based on cabernet sauvignon from La Pirámide vineyard, blended
with 20 percent malbec from vines at higher altitudes in the Uco Valley. This is generous in spice scents, with an accent on black pepper
and cinnamon notes; it's seductively profound, and supported by
refined tannins. A wine to lay down in your cellar.
Malbec from the Heights: Much of Vigil's work has focused on malbec, Catena's specialty. Back in the mid-1990s, the firm had planted
malbec high up in the Andes in the Uco Valley, vineyards that Vigil
investigated through viticultural trials and small-batch winemaking.
He now produces a number of single-vineyard wines from these sites,
and also blends some of his best selections into the Argentino Malbec. His 2011 is a blend of fruit from Nicasia in La Consulta, at 3,600
feet in altitude, and Adrianna, 1,000 feet higher, in Gualtallary. Back
86

WINE & SPIRITS

BUYING GUIDE 2017

Founded: 1902
Winemaker: Alejandro Vigil
Viticulturist: Luis Reginato
Owners: Nicolas and Laura Catena
Acres owned: 900
Annual production: N/A
Estate grown: 100%
Importer: MundoVino/
The Winebow Group, NY
Website: catenawines.com

in the 1990s, few believed that malbec would ripen at that
altitude. Catena was one of the pioneers in proving that
Gualtallary could deliver a distinctive range of flavors with
fresh, tight structures. The wines have proven to be completely different from the ripe, soft malbecs of lower elevations in Mendoza. In fact, the 2011 Argentino defies
the stereotype of malbec as a soft and gentle grape:
Its strong tannins bind to imposing acidity, creating a
powerful structural matrix that will need years to fully
evolve. Right now, it's packed with red fruit flavors and
lovely violet notes.
Mendoza Villages: Catena's team is now focusing on the
Burgundian concept of "village" wines. "We want to
offer the flavors and the sense of place of malbec, but
at a much lower price than our wines from single vineyards," says Laura Catena of the new Appellation line.
The bottlings will include six wines from different areas in Mendoza-
from Agrelo and Lunlunta in Luján de Cuyo, to Paraje Altamira, Vista
Flores, San Carlos and La Consulta at higher altitudes in the Uco Valley. The wines retail for around $20, a more accessible way to explore
the many faces of Argentine malbec. -P.T.

TOP-SCORING WINES
XX '11
93
'XX Mendoza
Xxxxxxxx Argentino
Xxxxxxx Xxxxx
Malbec
$XX$130
(XX/XX)
(2/16)
XX '11
93
'XX Mendoza
Xxxxxxxx Nicolas
XxxxxxxCatena
Xxxxx $XX
Zapata
(XX/XX)
$130 (2/16)
XX '12
92
'XX La
Xxxxxxxx
Consulta
Xxxxxxx
NicasiaXxxxx
Vineyard
$XX (XX/XX)
Malbec $120 (2/16)

http://www.catenawines.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Wine & Spirits - Winter 2016