Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2022

The label of the Argentino vintage pays homage to the history of the Malbec grape variety in France and its development in Argentina. Four female figures embody the different eras of this grape variety. Eleanor of Aquitaine represents the birth of Malbec, around the Cahors bridge, where Malbec took off. Then, the Immigrant symbolizes the movement to the New World with its unknown explorers and adventurers who connected Europe to the Americas. Phylloxera personifies the death of Malbec in the Old World, which allowed its rebirth in the New. Finally, there is Bodega Catena Zapata, portrayed by Adrianna Catena , who depicts birth, land and motherhood, sharing the riches of the New World.

This vintage is made from the oldest Malbec vines of the Catena Zapata family. The vineyards come from a pre-phylloxera mass selection of these old vines. All grapes are hand-picked and loaded into new French oak barrels for 100% barrel fermentation for a period of 28 days, allowing for even integration of the oak. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 18 months . This wine reveals elegant notes of undergrowth , pepper , wild blueberries , plum , blackcurrant , cherry, blackberry , mocha , leather , graphite , clove and cedar . On the palate, the wine is elegant, silky with full-bodied and smooth tannins. It is a wine that has body while maintaining superb freshness. An already magnificent wine which will improve over the years.

Although Argentina is considered the "new world", its wine tradition is much older than one might think, dating back to the time of Spanish colonization, in the 16th century and then by Italian settlers. Unlike Chile, wine has long been part of the country's culture. No wine producing country in the world has made more progress in the last years of the 20th century (on the viticultural and oenological level and necessarily financially) which has allowed the country's wine producers to increase quality levels and consolidate an international export market. Argentina has now become the fifth largest wine producing country in the world, after France, Italy, Spain and the United States. Viticulture is practiced mainly in the foothills of the Andes, and more particularly in Mendoza, where the desert landscapes and high altitudes combine to give rise to aromatic and intensely perfumed wines. Some vineyards can even be planted up to 3000 meters above sea level! The terroir here is well suited to the grape variety adopted by Argentina: the omnipresent Malbec. Originally from Bordeaux, he is today responsible for some of the most famous Argentinian wines, which are characterized by their brightness and intensity, with floral notes and dark fruit flavors. Other red varieties produced in Argentina are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Bonarda, Syrah, Tempranillo and Pinot Noir. Among white wines, the emblematic grape variety of the Argentine wine region is Torrontés, which gives a wine with a floral and tropical taste. The country also produces Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Grigio. Today, Argentinian wines are recognized throughout the world for their full-bodied reds and as high-quality wines.