100% Malbec
"The 2016 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae is from a cold and rainy El Niño vintage that broke the mold of typical Mendoza weather. The grapes were picked a bit later and achieved a slow, perfect ripening while retaining very good freshness. They used 50% full clusters in this cooler year. The wine was pressed before it finished fermenting (in concrete), and the juice—without skins, pips or stems—finished fermenting like a white in the foudre. When I tasted the wines after bottling, this felt a bit dizzy, with the aromatics coming and going, sometimes showing a little open. But the wine settled in bottle, and the palate shows the core of acidity that lifts the wine and provides incredible freshness; the tannins are ultra refined, and there is great overall balance. Yields were lower, so they only filled some 3,360 bottles.
Catena is one of the quality leaders in Argentina and it's also a large winery, so they combine quality and quantity. Furthermore, they are one of the pioneers: They were the first to plant vineyards in Gualtallary, which is nowadays considered one of the highest potential zones in the country, but they were deemed crazy when they planted there. The wines are phenomenal, true to their place and vintage, and the accompanying notes merit reading to see what each of their wines is. Comparing 2016 and 2017, it seems like 2017 was better in Altamira and 2016 was a great success in Gualtallary, but there's a lot more information on each wine. They also have a new range of non-sulfur wines called La Marchigiana." - Robert Parkers Wine Advocate
"Aromas of violets, blueberries and black licorice follow through to a full body with tight and restrained tannins and a lively acidity. An energetic and youthful wine. Can age wonderfully but exciting to taste now." - James Suckling
Die Bodega Catena Zapata
Nicolas Catena gilt als der wichtigste Wein-Pionier Argentiniens, dessen Wirken etwa mit dem Robert Mondavis in Kalifornien verglichen werden kann. Mit jener Ikone der amerikanischen Weinszene hat er – völlig verdient – auch die Vielzahl an Auszeichnungen gemein. Und übrigens die Herkunft, denn auch Catenas Wurzeln fußen in Italien.
Ende des 19. Jahrhunderts wanderte die Familie nach Mendoza aus, im Gepäck Rebsorten wie den Malbec, der dank Nicolas Catenas Engagement die Grundlage für die Qualitätsrevolution des argentinischen Weinbaus stellen sollte.
Als die meisten Winzer ihre Weingärten noch in der Hochebene von Mendoza pflegten, zog es Nicolas Catena in die Berge hinauf, dort, wo es einerseits wesentlich kühler ist, andererseits die Trauben immer noch eine exzellente Reife erreichen. Er war der Erste, der Reben in ca. 1.500 Metern Höhe pflanzte und er sorgte für einen völlig neuen argentinischen Weinstil: elegant, konzentriert, komplex und doch mineralisch frisch. Diese Weine werden heute noch "alta" genannt, also "hoch", was aber auch für die Qualität gilt. Mit Laura Catena steht heute übrigens auch hier – einzigartig für Argentinien – eine Frau an der Spitze eines Weinguts.
