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NOTES
Argentina has been making wine since the 1500s, tracing its wine heritage back to Spain, France and, perhaps surprisingly, Italy. Italian immigration is second only to Spanish in Argentine culture, and the flavors of Italy show up strongly in the nation’s wine, food and cultural tradition. Historically, Argentina has kept much of its wine consumption at home, drinking most of the wine it makes. But we are now seeing more very serious Argentine wines north of the border, and Malbec is leading the movement.
In the late 1800s, Nicola Catena grew up the son of vineyard workers in The Marches province of Italy. Like many Italians who struggled to make ends meet at the turn of the 19th century, he boarded a ship to cross the ocean in search of a more prosperous life. Argentina was a common destination for wayward Italians and Nicola found his home in Mendoza, which was widely becoming known as a magnificent grape growing region. In 1902, he planted his first vineyard and began producing wine for the domestic market.
Nicola’s eldest son Domingo eventually took over the business and strived to expand the production of his favorite grape, Malbec. Years later, Domingo’s eldest son Nicolás (named after his grandfather) graduated from the university with a degree in economics and joined the family business in 1963. Together, they worked diligently to increase Catena’s vineyards and winemaking capacity in order to become one of Argentina's largest and most prosperous wine producing families.
Catena was one of the leading producers of Argentinean wine in terms of quantity, but it wasn’t until one day in 1982 that they began their quest to become a leader in quality wine as well.
TASTING NOTES
Nicolás Catena Zapata is made from a selection of the best lots of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in the Catena Zapata Vineyards. The first Nicolás Catena Zapata was made in 1997, a phenomenal Cabernet Sauvignon vintage in Mendoza. The 1997 Nicolás Catena Zapata was released in 2000 through a series of blind tastings held in the USA and Europe where it was compared blind to Chateau Latour, Haut Brion, Solaia, Caymus and Opus One. The Nicolás Catena Zapata 1997 came in either first or second in every tasting. This wine is only produced in outstanding vintage years.
The blend comprises 70% Cabernet Sauvignon; 30% Malbec; Beautifully composed nose, with lovely violet and cassis sweetness, a wrapping of mocha, spice and cedar, and plenty of ripe, suave, deep fruit. The palate is silky-textured and terrifically sweet and ripe. The oak is so polished, and the chocolate and spice tannins so supple and well-integrated. Wonderfully focused, pure, and extremely long.
REVIEWS
Full, bright ruby; black cherry, dark raspberry, cassis and a whiff of graphite on the very ripe but reticent nose. Then sweet, creamy and suave on the palate, more sappy and less open-knit than the Argentino Malbec but utterly seamless nevertheless. Very long and firmly tannic on the aftertaste. This wonderfully plump, deep, elegantly styled wine showed even stronger fruit, and a slightly liqueur-like chocolatey ripeness, after 48 hours in the recorked bottles. 94+ Points, Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Jan/Feb 2010
The 2006 Nicolas Catena Zapata is composed of 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Malbec and spent 26 months in new French oak. It displays a superb perfume of pain grille, spice box, truffle, wild flowers, black cherry, and black currant. Rich, layered, dense, and complex, it, too, combines elegance and power. The wine is structured for the long haul and should easily see its 25th birthday, with 50 not out of the question. 97 Points, Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate Issue 184, August 2009
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