The Catena family is well-known as one of the pioneers of Argentine wine, discovering higher areas in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in the early 1990s where Malbec would excel. Catena was also able to import the best selections of Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay into Argentina from France and the United States.
In 1995, Laura Catena founded the Catena Institute of Wine to select 135 plants with different qualities from an old Catena family vineyard called the Angelica Vineyard planted between 1920 and 1930 in Lunlunta, Maipu and other vineyards across Mendoza. The plants were reproduced from cuttings and then planted, four selections per row, in the La Piramide Vineyard around the Catena Zapata winery in Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo.
This first selection of Malbec plants, called the Catena Cuttings, are the most diverse massal selection of Malbec in the world. Plantings have been replicated in other Catena vineyards to ensure the survival of the original population.
The selection was also planted at Catena’s Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary at nearly 5,000-feet elevation in a Winkler 1 zone, its coldest. Catena continues to have the largest selection of Malbec plants in the world. Catena Zapata head winemaker Alejandro Vigil got his start working at Catena Institute and continues to take part in research studying from how Malbec ages to how soil and climate interact in different regions and vineyard parcels.
So it was a true pleasure and enlightening experience to spend a day in Napa in mid-July tasting older vintages of Catena and Luca wines with Laura Catena, winemaker Alejandro Vigil, and Catena Institute researcher Roy Urvieta.
Catena founded Luca in 1999, naming it after her newborn son. It was the first winery in Argentina to bottle old-vine Malbec, working with small family-owned vineyards to source the grapes and help keep them in the ground rather than get paved over for housing. Luca also produced some of Mendoza’s first high-altitude Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Common Characteristics by Appellation (with corresponding Catena vineyard)
Lunlunta Malbec (Angelica Vineyard): smoky, oak, strawberry, citrus, cherry, sweet, smooth texture of the tannins
Agrelo/Primera Zona Malbec (La Piramide Vineyard): chocolate, black pepper, leather, wood, nutty, saline, spicy core, chalky texture
Altamira Malbec (Nicasia Vineyard): chocolate, smoke, citrus, fresh grape, spicy tactile, white stones, ripe dark fruit, violets, powerful
El Cepillo Malbec (Angelica Sur Vineyard): plum, fresh grape, floral, spices, medicinal aromas, limestone soils, cold, fresh, violet, spice, blue fruits, structure, some of most tannic, wildflowers, violets, wet stone, cumin, curry leaf, delicate and subtle with power
Gualtallary Malbec (Adrianna Vineyard): floral aromas, spices, eucalyptus, berries, poor and heterogeneous soils, constant threat of frost, stressed vines, energy, tension, and harmony, real minerals, not so fruity or woody, austere, Pinot Noir-like cherry
Vintage Notes
1994: typical year with no Zonda wines, warm spring, and good set. Harvest took place over March, April, and May with plentiful yields. Malbecs were strong with rich, smooth tannins. Drink now.
2000: Cold winter and spring with uneven set, which led to tiny yields. Rest of summer was warm and even, resulting in remarkable concentration and balance, the wines very ageworthy.
2001: Started well with moderate spring temperatures and no frost. Dry, warm weather continued until mid-March, when scattered rainstorms led to botrytis in some areas. For those who waited patiently to harvest after the rains, the vintage proved phenomenal.
2004: A generally warm vintage with even ripening and no problematic rain, hail, or frost. Cool-climate vineyards did particularly well, leading to highly aromatic wines with rich, velvety tannins.
2010: Small, cool vintage that took place two weeks later than normal. Yields were down by 30% on average because of Zonda winds during set and severe frost in some areas. Rich wines with firm tannins should continue to be ageworthy.
2019: Dry weather where there was 20-60% less rain than normal and cooler temperatures led to small berries and lower yields, and grapes were harvested several weeks earlier than usual. No frost problems.
2021: Cool, with slightly more rain. October frost affected yields for white wines, while red grapes were fine, high in quality, and normal quantity, with great acidity and concentration.
2022: Exceptional year from every angle, despite unpredictable weather marked by two big frosts and a short harvest, with grapes that produced optimal acidity, great concentration, and ripe polyphenols, with moderate alcohol levels.
2023: Thought to become some of the most ageworthy wines out of Mendoza, where spring frosts affected yields a bit, but the climate was otherwise dry with slightly warmer temperatures. Harvest took place 2-4 weeks earlier than usual. The wines are elegant, with high acidity and low alcohol, textured and powerful in minerality.
Lastly, I include two current release wines from Zuccardi Valle De Uco that are exclusive with La Place de Bordeaux. Enjoy.