Catena Zapata - Nicolas Catena Zapata 2015
Bodega Catena Zapata is one of the leading wineries in Mendoza , Argentina . It was founded in 1902, still owned by the Catena Zapata family and today managed by Nicolás Catena Zapata . The estate is made up of six vineyards in the sub-regions of Luján de Cuyo, Tupungato and San Carlos de Mendoza, at altitudes ranging from 920 to 1,450 meters above sea level. The winery, with its pyramidal shape of Mayan influence, is located in Agrelo , in Luján de Cuyo . Catena produces a wide range of wines under several different labels. The top range is the Catena Zapata line, which includes four wines from two different vineyards (Nicasia and Adrianna), and the Malbec Argentino, which is produced from grapes selected from the best vineyard rows of each. The Catena and Catena Alta ranges are more “simple”, and offer varietal wines based on Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. The Bodega is particularly known for its rich, full-bodied red wines , as well as its barrel-fermented Chardonnays from high altitude sites, which combine maturity and fresh acidity.
With its inaugural 1997 vintage, Nicolás Catena Zapata became the first luxury vintage from Argentina to be exported around the world. The wine recreates the “original” Bordeaux blend of the 18th and 19th centuries, when Malbec dominated Merlot and was on par with Cabernet Sauvignon. Massal pre-phylloxera selections of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon from ungrafted vines are used to make this wine. The blend of the 2015 vintage is composed of Cabernet Sauvignon (83%) and Malbec (17%) . Fermentation takes place in oak barrels of 225 to 500 liters of first and second use for 15 days. The wine undergoes malolactic fermentation and is then aged in French oak barrels for 18 months .
Grape varieties: 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Malbec
