Home Industry News Releases Catena Appellation Wines Now Available Nationally

Catena Appellation Wines Now Available Nationally

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An extraordinary opportunity for wine lovers to taste the unique character of Argentina’s wine sub-regions.

April 3, 2018—Catena and MundoVino, a member of The Winebow Group, are pleased to announce that the limited-production Catena Appellation wines are now available nationally. The wines in this series each represent a distinct sub-region in the Mendoza Province and are the first bottlings that truly offer wine lovers a chance to explore the differences among vineyards in Argentina.

“It struck me that many people think of Argentina as a one-size-fits-all appellation,” says Dr. Laura Catena, the Managing Director of Catena Zapata. “My family has always sourced grapes from specific regions to lend particular characteristics to our wines. We came up the idea of bottling our main appellations on their own so that people could experience the character of each location.”

Malbec is Argentina’s most important grape variety and Mendoza is Argentina’s most important winemaking region. More than 414,000 acres of vineyards are planted at elevations ranging from 2,500 to 4,000 feet. Mendoza itself is divided into distinct sub-appellations—known as Indicaciones Geográficas, or IGs—that map the terroir. And the Catena Institute of Wine has researched and defined the characteristics of thousands of Malbec clones. Thinking that all of this simply produces “Argentine wine” is as inaccurate as considering every wine from France or Italy “French wine” or “Italian wine,” and it overlooks Argentina’s long winemaking tradition, which Catena has pioneered since 1902. 

To give you an idea of differences among these elevations and terroirs, we would like to offer you the chance to taste two of the Appellation Malbecs for yourself:

  • 2015 Lunlunta Old Vines Malbec: This vineyard in the Lunlunta IG, only 20 minutes from downtown Mendoza, was planted in 1930. At an elevation of 3,000 feet, its slightly warmer climate shortens the growing season and creates a broader, drink-me-now wine with rich, deeply flavored fruit and soft acidity.
  • 2015 La Consulta Malbec: Vines in this low-yielding (under 3 tons/acre) vineyard’s 3600 foot elevation in the Uco Valley are subjected to intense sunlight and cool nights, ensuring a long growing season. The result is an elegant and spicy Malbec with old world-style influences. From the same appellation as our Nicasia Vineyard. 

The Catena family has been sourcing fruit from specific terroirs in Mendoza since Don Domingo Catena began exploring vineyards in La Consulta in the 1950s. After six decades, winemakers have learned the nuances of each site and the appropriate winemaking techniques to coax the best from these grapes.

About Catena

Catena Zapata has been at the forefront of wine culture in Argentina since their vineyards were first planted in 1902. Over the past 40 years, the pioneering vision and tireless work ethic of Nicolás Catena Zapata has been rewarded by the fact that Argentine wine now stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the best wines in the world. Nicolás Catena Zapata is the only South American to have received both Decanter’s Man of the Year Award and Wine Spectator’s Distinguished Service Award. Under the current direction of winemaker and managing director Dr. Laura Catena, Bodega Catena Zapata continues to lead Argentina into the next century of winemaking, balancing a ceaseless study of Argentina’s high altitude climate and soils with the family’s century-old heritage. For more information about Catena Zapata, please visit www.catenawines.com.

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