Family. It’s the one word that has been burned into my head as I’m leaving a tasting Dr. Laura Catena, a Harvard trained biologist and emergency room physician, was kind enough to perform. Luckily, her family’s passion and love happens to be in liquid form for us all to enjoy. I have always enjoyed the wines of Catena Zapata, but it took this tasting to learn what truly sets them apart. Many feel that their quality comes from their command of high elevation vineyards, or the years of research spent cultivating the Malbec grape. Some think it was their early adoption of modern California winemaking and viticulture techniques along with the French sensibility of allowing unique vineyard parcels of terroir to speak. After hearing Dr. Laura speak, I like to believe the detail that allowed their Argentina wines to reach their full potential is the strength of family, providing wisdom in times of uncertainty and guidance from the past for the future.

Catena Zapata History

The Catena family and Malbec have been partners since 1902 when Nicola Catena planted his first vineyard in Mendoza, leaving his native Italy for Argentina to find opportunity and success. His son Domingo would continue his dream, increasing plantings enough to become the largest vineyard owners in Mendoza. During the 1960’s, times of political and economic uncertainty fell on the family, exacerbated by Domingo’s son Nicolás inheriting old winemaking techniques producing oxidized flavors in their wine. Change was needed and after visiting Napa Valley in the 1980’s, Nicolás witnessed the transformation of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, two beloved French grapes, into a uniquely American product.

To transform Malbec wine into a proud Argentinean creation, Nicolás would raise the status of his family’s vineyards, capturing powerful fruit complexity and marrying them with quality oak treatments. The 1990 Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend would be the first vintage to feature these new techniques with Nicolás actually having more faith with Cabernet succeeding in Argentina than Malbec! Other Mendoza winemakers would soon imitate the Catena Zapata wines, influencing Nicolás to distinguish himself by seeking out elevations of 1500 meters to plant vines in Tupungato, a cool area protected enough by the mountains to provide some protection against frost damage. The vineyard planted would be called “Adrianna” after his youngest daughter and it was soon clear that the Malbec wines from here were darker in color, more floral and complex and with greater acidity and tannins. In short, everything a winery could want when creating an exceptional Malbec.

High Elevation Vineyards

The Catena Institute of Wine, created by Dr. Laura Zapata alongside winemakers and vineyard managers, would later reveal the science behind this quality. The mountainous sunlight exposure here has numerous benefits including the increase of color pigments (anthocyanins) and aroma compounds (terpenes). Ultraviolet radiation, a lower wavelength radiation than the sunlight we see, increases at higher elevations, enhancing tannin and anthocyanin production. This increases the opportunity for winemakers to create a darker, more flavorful and age worthy wine. Another high elevation vineyard attribute is the low moisture mountain air that does not fully retain heat absorbed by soil during the day. This escaping heat, aided by temperatures falling by 1.1 degree Fahrenheit, (0.6 degree Celsius) for every 100 meter increase in elevation, allows these grapes to experience the benefits of ripening while still retaining acidity levels found in cooler climates.

The start of the tasting began with a theatric show describing the history of the Malbec grape intertwined with the journey of the Catena family. The backdrop for this performance was an amazing art piece that featured four female figures that signify important moments in the history of the grape such as Eleanor of Aquitane, an early champion of Malbec wines, and Phylloxera itself which is devastating in its female form. In her crimson beret Dr. Laura spoke with passion and authority regarding her family, providing an amazing role model for a new generation of wine professionals. As a member of the Catena family the pull to focus on wine must have been strong but she forged her own identity as a Harvard and Stanford educated biologist and emergency room physician. She’s also an amazing author who recently released her newest book, Gold in the Vineyards: Illustrated stories of the world’s most celebrated vineyards.

The tasting started with a series of Chardonnay wines, the 2017 White Stones and the 17 and 16 vintages of White Bones, both sourced from the Adrianna Vineyard but bottled separately due to their unique soil types. The White Stones vineyard is a former peach orchard rich in stony soils of white oval gravels that provide excellent drainage conditions. A bright zesty crispness is a hallmark from the Chardonnay from here along with green pear, apple and lemon citrus notes lightly dusted with a pinch of salty minerality. The White Bones is appropriately named after the fossilized animal bones and white layers of calcareous deposits. Like the White Stones this Chardonnay has ample crisp acidity with the 2017 vintage having a slightly greater weight along with spiced baked pie crust aromas, edging out the others to become my personal favorite. These Chardonnays share winemaking similarities such as barrel fermentation, partial MLF and being unfined and unfiltered.

The 2015 Catena Zapata D.V Tinto Historico Red Blend offers great quality for an under $20 wine. With ripe fruit flavors and a soft easy to drink structure, many people drink this wine in its youth, but cellar aging can reach up to twenty years according to the winery. The wine is the Argentina version of a Bordeaux blend, containing mostly Malbec, 21% Bonarda and 7% Petit Verdot from four different vineyards. Bonarda is actually the second most planted grape in Argentina, its low tannin and high fruit character pairing well as a blending partner with Malbec.

The 2016 Catena Alta Malbec represents 18 years of research in the vineyard and cellar with sourcing from a blend of what the winery calls their historic rows. Over the years many cuttings were planted, watched over and chosen for the qualities they exhibited. Aged for 18 months in French oak with primary and secondary fermentation occurring in barrel. This remarkable wine is home to big fruit intensity while still preserving delicate aromas of purple flowers along with cranberry tart freshness, bright red plum, hibiscus and pomegranate syrup flavors.

The 2015 Catena Zapata Nicasia Vineyard Malbec comes from the southern region of Altamira en La Consulta which was the area Domingo preferred for his Malbec vines. Barrel fermentation and aging in oak for 2 years and an additional 2 years in bottle allows for the development of a silky-smooth texture. The 2015 Catena Zapata Argentino Malbec is a selection of old vines from the Nicasia and Angelica vineyards. This Malbec is a step up in richness with oaky spiced vanilla and a viscous texture along with ripe black fruits that remains fresh and not baked or dried out.

I did not expect to go to a producer tasting known for Malbec and come away loving their Pinot Noir. The same research and intensity given to create a superior Malbec was given to Pinot Noir. This led the winery to the Uco Valley where Dr. Laura and her team choose the best sites with low nighttime temperatures and limestone soils. This Grand Père Pinot Noir is from the Villa Bastías area of Tupungato, a more shaded parcel that keeps the fruit profile light with lean with red fruits and great acidity. The 2017 Domaine Nico Grand Père Pinot Noir marries together classic hallmarks of the grape and Argentinean pride. Light bodied with crisp cranberry and zesty blood orange citrus aromas aided with use of whole cluster fermentation. The name Nico is placed on the bottle as Dr. Laura’s daughter as well as her great grandfather Nicola share the nickname.

Catena Zapata has branched out in many new directions since its founding in 1902. Now customers can expect a quality Pinot Noir, Cabernet Franc, Syrah, and Sauvignon Blanc among its different labels. With the expansion it would only be natural to expect some kind of drop off in quality. If you’re holding your breath in this anticipation you might want to have a medical doctor nearby. Thanks to this tasting I know a great one that makes house calls, dispensing medicine from a 750ml bottle best described as a cure all for any of life’s worries or celebrations.