Celebrating Malbec with Bodega Catena Zapata

The Bodega Catena Zapata winery is masterful at producing top-quality Malbec wines in Argentina.  I was fortunate to attend an online wine tasting of three Malbecs recently released by the winery.  The wine tasting was led by Marina Castillo, Export Manager for Catena Zapata.

About Bodega Catena Zapata and Their Vineyards

Marina gave us some background information such as the first planting of Malbec in Argentina, intermixed with other grapes, was in 1902 by Nicola Catena, who immigrated from Italy.  His oldest son, Domingo, started to blend wines from the south and east Mendoza areas in the 1840s and 1850s.  He married Angelica Zapata who was a school director.  They had a son, Nicolas, who went to study physics in Berkley, California but was also influenced by the wines being made in Napa Valley.  He felt that Napa’s success could also be replicated in Argentina.  He took over winery operations in the 1960s.  Dr. Nicolas Catena was the first person to plant Malbec vines above 1500m asl in Argentina at their Adrianna Vineyard. He had a daughter, Laura, who now runs the winery, and travels the world to show their wines.  Dr. Laura Catena has authored three books about Malbec and Argentina, founded the Catena Institute of Wine in 1995, and is a Stanford medical doctor.  She was at VanWineFest in March 2020 and will be attending VanWineFest this year. 

They have vineyards across Argentina’s provinces from North to South (Salta, San Juan, La Rioja Argentina, Mendoza, and La Pampa) with six principal vineyards in Mendoza.  These six vineyards are:

1. 

   Angelica (next to a ravine that ends in the dry riverbed of Rio Mendoza.  Mixed gravel, loam, and clay soil.  920m asl. This vineyard was named after Nicolas Catena’s mother.)
2. Domingo (gravel covered with loam and limestone deposits at 60cm below.  1120m asl.  Named after Nicolas Catena’s father.)
3. Nicasia (shallow loamy soil with surface gravel and gravelly dry river bed subsoil.  1095m asl. Named after Nicolas Catena’s grandmother.)
4. La Piramide (deep alluvial loam with 30% clay.  950m asl. This vineyard surrounds the Catena Zapata winery, which is shaped like a pyramid.)
5. Adrianna (alluvial, gravel with limestone deposits in the topsoil.  1450m asl.  This is their highest elevation vineyard.  Named after Nicolas Catena’s youngest daughter.)
6. Angelica Sur (deep loamy alluvial soil with dense surface gravel.  1090m asl. Named after Nicolas Catena’s mother.)

Marina discussed how elevation affects the aromas and flavours of the Malbec grape.  With the vineyards at different elevations, we can expect different expressions of the Malbec grape, allowing the winery to produce single vineyard wines or blend wines from different vineyards and elevations for a more complex expression.  Lower elevations have warmer temperatures so you will get more black fruit flavours, while higher elevations are cooler, so you will get more floral and red fruit flavours.  Their Bodega Catena Zapata Historic Rows Malbec 2019 is a blend of vineyards and elevations.

The Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino has a very unique label, drawn to show the 2000 history of Malbec and the more recent Catena family in Argentina. Starting from the left side of the label you have Eleanor of Aquitaine who was the queen of France and then England in the 1200s. Lots of Malbec was grown at that time.  It was called the Dark Wine.  As water was not disinfected like we now have, people drank wine more to stay healthy. She took the wines of the area in France to England bringing it into fashion. The second lady is Anna Catena the wife of Nicola Catena, also coming from Italy.  The picture of her shows the difficulty of immigration to Argentina. Choppy waters and a ship in the background and arrows going through her body signify the fighting between the Europeans and the indigenous people for their land.  They brought small incipient vines (you can see one in her hand).  Madame Phylloxera is in the middle and she represents the death of Malbec in the Old World from the phylloxera louse.  Malbec was then replaced by Merlot in Europe.  40-50% of the wines in Bordeaux before phylloxera were made with Malbec.  The Catena Institute also found that the female louse survives better so they drew Madame Phylloxera as a female in this graphic. The last lady is Adrianna Catena, showing the rebirth of Malbec in the New World.  The Andes Mountains in the back.  She is sitting on a globe over South America and holds strong Malbec vines. 

My Wine Tasting Notes

Bodega Catena Zapata Historic Rows Malbec 2019 – this wine started in the 1990s and is a blend of the best same rows of certain vineyards and elevations.  The vineyard lots were harvested at different times to ensure optimal natural acidity and moderate alcohol levels.  The whole berries were fermented in small barrels using indigenous yeasts, followed by malolactic fermentation in barrel, and then aged for 18 months in French oak (new and second/third fill barrels). 2019 was a difficult harvest as they lost 50% of their Uco Valley grapes due to hail. 

This wine has a deep garnet colour with a touch of ruby.  Medium-intensity aromas of dark fruit and sweet spices.  Toasty aromas grow with time in the glass.  Medium body, soft and round mouthfeel.  Red fruit, blueberries, and floral flavours.  The blueberry flavours get stronger with air.  Medium acidity and very light, fine-grained tannins.  Medium-plus length. This wine tastes fresh and youthful.

Bodega Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard Malbec 2019 – this wine is not made every year. 10% whole cluster and 90% whole berry fruit were fermented in French oak foudres at low temperatures to extract intense aromas.  Indigenous yeasts were used to ferment.  The wine also underwent a secondary malolactic fermentation and then aged in French oak barrels for 24 months followed by 24 months of ageing in bottle before being released. 

This wine has a deep/opaque ruby/garnet colour.  Light aromas of purple fruit and hints of sweet spices and toast.  Medium-plus body with a thicker, but round and soft mouthfeel.  Medium acidity and tannins.  A mix of dark and red fruit flavours, plus some candied red fruit and touches of chocolate and coffee.  Complex flavours.  Medium-plus length finishing with some tart fruit flavours, coffee, and vanilla.  Firmer tannins on the finish.  A structured wine. My favourite wine.

Bodega Catena Zapata Argentino 2020 – is a blend coming from the Angelica (ungrafted vines, pre-phylloxera) and the Nicasia vineyards.  The wine is made with 20% whole cluster and 80% whole berries fermented in French oak barrels for 30 days followed by malolactic fermentation, then aged for 18 months in French oak and 12 months in bottle before being released. This wine has been made since 2004.  It is meant to be a fuller-bodied wine that is more approachable when it is young.

A deep ruby colour with a garnet tinge.  Swirling leaves tears on the sides of the glass.  Medium-minus intensity deep aromas of dark fruit, sweet spice, and touches of floral and vanilla.  Dry, medium-plus body, very silky smooth and round mouthfeel.  Ripe dark fruit flavours, with touches of oak, nutmeg spice and minerality.  Medium tannins and acidity.  Sweeter red fruit flavours toward the finish. Firmer tannins on the finish, but still quite smooth.

Where Can I Buy These Wines?

Bodega Catena Zapata will be attending the Vancouver International Wine Festival this year.  They will be pouring their Argentino 2020 wine, amongst other wines from their portfolio. The 2019 Argentino is available at BC Liquor stores for $134.99 plus taxes, at select Everything Wine stores for $151.99 plus taxes, and at Marquis Wine Cellars for $169.99 plus taxes.  The Historic Rows Malbec 2018 is available at BC Liquor stores for $64.99 plus taxes and at Marquis Wine Cellars for $70.35 plus taxes.  I did not find the Nicasia Vineyard Malbec 2019, or any vintage, for sale in BC.