The Bodega Catena Zapata portfolio is high up there with the best of Argentina’s New World offerings - literally.

With a light and fruity (perfect for day drinking) Catena Alta Chardonnay underway, 24 guests arrived at the dimly lit Elbert’s Steakroom one by one, couple by couple. Bacchus Epicerie’s Alex Lichaytoo, exclusive distributor of Argentina’s Bodega Catena Zapata, was working the intimate crowd, asking everyone how they found the first white of the evening.

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Above US Gold tenderloin with truffled mash

“GMA [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] only eats fish and always orders this [to go with it],” shared Lichaytoo sipping on the 10-year-old chardonnay that third-generation and founder Nicolas Catena ever made.With a light and fruity (perfect for day drinking) Catena Alta Chardonnay underway, 24 guests arrived at the dimly lit Elbert’s Steakroom one by one, couple by couple. Bacchus Epicerie’s Alex Lichaytoo, exclusive distributor of Argentina’s Bodega Catena Zapata, was working the intimate crowd, asking everyone how they found the first white of the evening. “GMA [Gloria Macapagal Arroyo] only eats fish and always orders this [to go with it],” shared Lichaytoo sipping on the 10-year-old chardonnay that third-generation and founder Nicolas Catena ever made.

 

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Above Elbert Cuenca, Marcelo Marasco, Alex Lichaytoo and Adrian Cuenca

Setting the sophisticated tone for the evening was a thrilling announcement from Lichaytoo. 

“Quality always trumps quantity I say…except for some guys I know here,” he started, tongue in cheek. “But,” he excitedly shared, “the next two wines aren’t carried by Bacchus. We DHL’ed them over and they just arrived hours ago!” referring to the Adrianna White Stones Chardonnay 2014 and the Adrianna White Bones Chardonnay 2014, both of which are produced in limited (and very covetable, mind you) batches of 500 of each.
“But let Marcelo Marasco, Catena Zapata Export Manager talk about this most beautiful Argentinean vineyard and these two stunning bottles,” finished Lichaytoo as he passed on the limelight.

“The parcel of land next to that is where the White Bones chardonnay vines grow. “In this soil you’ll find a lot of calcareous material (like shells), which, as we later analysed, came from below the Pacific Ocean,” shared Marasco. “Due to all the earthquakes, earth movements and volcanic explosions, this material found its way to higher ground. The difference between the two soils is that the second retains humidity, while the first doesn’t.”

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Above Carpaccio

Named after Nicolas Catena’s daughter, explained Marasco, the 1,500-metres-above-sea-level Adrianna vineyards are high up in the Andes. “The vineyard soil compositions change in the different parcels [of land]. For River Stones, you have to imagine that the vineyard hugs an ancient, now dry, river and that the Andes possesses the highest altitude in the whole continent and Southern hemisphere – its even higher than Alaska, the North Pole, and the Antarctic – and that these particular vineyards grow on a very stony soil.”
These two chardonnays are prime examples of how the viniculture did not interfere with the terroir (both leaning toward more mineral expressions but varying in their citrus and floral notes) and are among the most awarded of the Southern hemisphere by the specialised media. “James Suckling awarded the White Stones 2014 vintage a 99 while Robert Parker awarded it a 97. The same for White Bones,” Marasco pointed out.

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Years after Nicolas Catena planted his first vineyard in Mendoza in 1902, he decided he wanted to revolutionise winemaking in Argentina like the French were doing elsewhere. Fascinated with and inspired by Robert Mondavi, he started altering the traditional Italian and Spanish ways of making wine, introducing his own techniques in the vineyards, and even choosing unique – albeit questionable – locales and respective environments for planting the vines. “He was the first to plant 1,500 metres above sea level. Everybody said he was crazy saying that no grape would ripen that high up…” said Marasco.
Case in ambitious point being his spectacular Stones and Bones creations which were both thoroughly cross-examined and enjoyed with two consecutive starters prepared by chef Adrian Cuenca: The superbly tender Japanese beef roll followed by the thinly sliced tart and tangy (thanks to the fresh lemon squeezed over it) beef carpaccio sprinkled with parmesan shavings.
While Catena experimented with his chardonnays and pinot noirs to great effect, what he truly wanted to discover were malbecs. He thus made a cutting selection – the best five – from about 150 different kinds of malbecs that he found in Argentina.

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Photo 1 of 5 Adrianna Fortuna Terrae 2012
Photo 2 of 5 Adrianna Vds CH White Stones copia
Photo 3 of 5 Adrianna White Bones Chardonnay 2014
Photo 4 of 5 Catena Alta Chardonnay
Photo 5 of 5 Nicolas Catena Zapata Cabernet Malbec 2001
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Three outputs of Catena’s ingenuity were to be had this evening. The first, a sensational vintage and this writer’s favourite, the soft Catena Zapata Nicasia Malbec 2012 alluded to dreamy strawberry and cherry profiles. Emerging from the kitchen, the light yet simultaneously rich barley soup found a most impressive partner in the Nicasia. Besides the barley bits, the broth had a nice crunch to it thanks to the flavourful crisp duck confit chunks. “What makes this very unique is that this is grown 1,200 metres above sea level. In fact, Nicasia, by decanter, won the Latin medal for malbecs,” said Marasco.
The second, the Adrianna Fortunae Terrae Malbec 2012 was paired with a wild card porcine dish, the Iberico Secreto served with chimichurri and rosemary potatoes (wild card not in the sense that pata negra jowl and Argentinian reds don’t go – of course not – but, rather, a pleasant surprise coming from the steakroom kitchen). “Butchers usually save this limited cut for special occasions or dinner but we have access to that so we decided to serve it tonight,” said Elbert Cuenca, of Elbert’s fame, no less. A thicker, bolder and more robust malbec, James Suckling rated the Fortunae Terrae a confident 100. 

“It’s very evident that you have good facilities for storing the wines. This tastes like it does in the winery!” exclaimed Marasco observing both reds. To which Lichaytoo responded, “Absolutely - 15 degrees. Our obsession is storage.”
Carrying the blended and rather voluptuous 30:70 ratio of the third red and Catena flagship wine, the Nicolas Catena Zapata Cabernet / Malbec 2001, was a memorable US Double Gold tenderloin, bordelaise and truffled mashed potatoes. 
“In Bordeaux when the structure of the wine is very tannic, they say that’s a classic vineyard. I don’t think that’s the style anymore. The great vineyards today go for softer but perfectly balanced wines: fruit, alcohol, tannins, acidity,” said Lichaytoo reminiscing about the evening’s stellar offerings. “Since day one, we’ve always carried Catena,” said Elbert Cuenca of his dynamic wine list. “But tonight has certainly asked me to revisit what we order!”