Catena Zapata
Catena Zapata's success story begins in 1902 when Italian Nicola Catena planted his vines in Mendoza. Four years earlier, he left his homeland behind and emigrated to Argentina in search of a new challenge. Thus, he was one of the first to dare to plant the French malbec variety in the Argentine landscape. Under the reign of his grandson Nicolás Catena Zapata, the winery gained international fame and reputation. But it was not always easy. Due to the local economy and inflation, the 1960s were a tough period for Catena Zapata. Nevertheless, Nicolás managed to be the first Argentine winery to export abroad. He also expanded the vineyard area and chose to plant grape varieties such as chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon.
Currently, six different vineyards are in production. These are the plots: Angélica, La Pirámide, Nicasia, Domingo, Adrianna and Angélica Sur. These are located at an altitude of 950 to 1450 metres. The large difference in day and night temperatures allows the grapes to ripen under ideal conditions and also maintains good acidity. The soil is alluvial and contains a lot of limestone and clay.
These factors together are the key to high quality wines. Besides the aforementioned grape varieties, bonarda, sangiovese, pinot noir, syrah and merlot are also planted.
In addition to its regular wines, Bodega Catena Zapata releases several top cuvées. These are only produced in exceptionally good years. After the manual harvest, the bunches are fermented in oak barrels, cement tanks or stainless steel. The red wines are then aged for an average of 18 months in French oak. The white wines are also aged in wood, but the proportion of new wood is much lower. The wines are intense in flavour, layered and have a good storage potential. At Catena, they are constantly looking for the best quality. This is also reflected in the high scores they regularly receive. The 2016 Adrianna Vineyard River Stones was even awarded 100 Parker Points.
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