We are pleased to release the 2019 vintage of Nicolás Catena Zapata and Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae on September 15, 2022. This will be the fifth year that these two wines are distributed with La Place de Bordeaux in Europe and Asia.
September 19th – The oldest family winery in Argentina still in family hands, Catena Zapata has been a pioneer in high altitude farming since its founding by Italian Nicola Catena in 1902. The wines are sourced from pre-phylloxeric massale selections of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec planted on their own roots (ungrafted) in selected mountain vineyard “parcelas”.
In 2022 the Catena Zapata Family received outstanding awards. Catena Zapata was voted for the third year in a row, as Drinks International’s Most Admired Wine Brand in South America. Dr. Nicolás Catena Zapata, known as the father of Malbec and the man who revolutionized Argentine wine, was the First South American Vintner to receive Wine Enthusiast’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He was also honoured as Winemaking Legend 2022 by wine critic Tim Atkin. His daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, was recognised with the 2022 Woman of the Year Award from the prestigious UK Magazine, The Drinks Business. The judges who nominated Laura shared: “This year, we were brimming with praise for an inspirational person. She has devoted a lifetime to Argentine Malbec, but in the past year she has really made outstanding strides in the promotion of this originally French grape, planted in her native South American nation.”
HARVEST REPORT 2019
Dry weather (precipitations 20-60% lower than usual), small berries and slightly lower yields; cooler temperatures overall. The 2019 harvest happened about 1-3 weeks earlier than usual, and the grapes were in pristine condition with not a drop of botrytis or downy mildew.
We were concerned that there would be problems with frost, because of the dry spring, but a constant evening breeze made frosts rare this year. And outside of Agrelo, there were no significant hail storms. We expected the harvest to be larger than usual, but the combination of dry weather and cool climate resulted in yields slightly lower than the norm.
ADRIANNA VINEYARD
- MUNDUS BACILLUS TERRAE MALBEC 2019
- JANE ANSON 100 Points
“One of the most exciting wines of the September Releases, and one that captures the progress and interest around terroir in the Argentinian wine scene right now. This is set at 1,500m elevation, on limestone dominant soils, and it immediately sets itself apart by its soaring aromatics that give nuance and depth, with seductively curling peony and raspberry leaf. Powerful and full of character, somehow translates the idea of minerality that is so argued over in wine – here you feel it in the slightly chalky tannins, the pulses of electricity, and dried herb and fennel studding to the fresh raspberry and red cherry fruits. So good. Ungrafted vines.”
- THE WINE ADVOCATE 98 Points
- JAMES SUCKLING 97 Points
- TIM ATKIN 97 Points
- VINOUS 96 Points
- DECANTER 96 Points
- NICOLAS CATENA ZAPATA 2019
- JAMES SUCKLING 98 Points
“This has a complex nose of baked blackberries, grilled plums, dried earth, moss, pine cones, sandalwood, charcoal and cloves. It’s medium-bodied with firm, tightly knit tannins. Wow. So much going on. Layered, seamless and silky. Incredible length. Keeps going. 42% cabernet sauvignon, 30% malbec and 28% cabernet franc.”
