It Starts With Wine - Argentina
The history of Malbec from Bodega Catena Zapata
The second installment of Wine Enthusiast Media’s It Starts With Wine features my beloved country of Argentina. I fell in love with Argentina in 2004 when I visited for a friend’s wedding. Needless to say it still has a hold on me. I have visited since then and I am going back in 2020. Many stories describe Buenos Aires as the “Paris of South America” and maybe that is why it feels like home to me. I also feel at home in Paris. I loved this episode so much I watched it three times and downloaded all of them to my iPad.
Argentina has this rhythm that is hard to explain and not just in Buenos Aires, but also in Mendoza and Bariloche. It’s a country as unique as its wines. Bodega Catena Zapata in my opinion has introduced the world to Argentine Malbec and when many people think of Malbec, Catena instantly pop in their mind. The episode showcases how Laura Catena, M.D. has taken her family’s wine and put them on the world stage while staying true to her family’s wine legacy. A few weeks ago I was fortunate taste a few Catena wines at the Embassy of Argentina and these wines showed depth and perspective and made me realize I need to again revisit Catena Zapata wines on a regular basis.
The wines tasted in order:
2015 Catena Alta Chardonnay
2014 Catena Alta Malbec
2014 Catena Alta Cabernet
2014 Catena ‘Fortunate Terrae’
2014 Catena ‘Nicolas Catena’ Red
2015 Catena Malbec ‘Argentino’
You might be asking, “Julia, which one was your favorite?” They were all different and delicious in various ways, but for the Texas meat-loving girl I am, the 2015 Catena Malbec ‘Argentino’ won my heart. It is big and bold. It is from all old vines and everything I love in tannic and larger than life red wines. I can only imagine this with a tomahawk steak. Now, I just need to find some people who wants to go in on the steak and the wine.