HWG Price Book Jan-Apr 2018 FB

The Henry Wine Group

Toll-free Order Desk: 800.669.9428

It is the Adrianna Vineyard single parcel wines, among a handful of other top end Catena wines, that I presented last fall to a lucky group of buyers. I was accompanied by Pablo Piccolo, in charge of US Exports for Catena. The first wine was the 2014 White Stones Chardonnay . This comes from 27 rows of vines located in Block One of the Adrianna Vineyard, at 4,757 feet. These rows have a layer of oval shaped white stones which are high in calcium carbonate content, giving the wine its name. The wine was fermented with wild yeasts and went through partial malolactic, and was aged in used oak for 12-16 months. I was intrigued by the distinct minty/eucalyptus note on the nose. Pablo confirmed that this was a unique character of the wine. I noticed that aroma the second time I tasted the wine. The wine was distinctive, with bright acidity and a long, mineral finish. The 2014 White Stones Chardonnay was one of the top white wines I tasted in 2017. Next up was the 2014 White Bones , from vines in a different section of Block One. This section has a layer of calcareous limestone as well as fossilized animal bones beneath the surface; remnants of an ancient river that ran through. The wine is completely different than the White Stones, with a floral character, apple and pear, and a strong mineral finish. Again, wild yeast ferment, no new oak. We tasted these two wines alongside a Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres and were struck by the obvious oak on the white Burgundy. We moved on to red wines. The first was the 2013 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino . This is roughly a 50/50 blend from the Adrianna and Nicasia Vineyards. The wine is barrel fermented with native yeasts, and aged in French Oak for 24 months. It has sweet, rich fruit with tobacco and pepper. Very elegant with a long finish. The Nicasia Vineyard is located at 3,593 feet above sea level in the southerly region of Altamira en La Consulta, and is planted with the special Catena Selection of Malbec cuttings. The 2013 Malbec from here is fermented with wild yeasts and aged in French Oak for 18 months. This has ripe yet elegant black plum fruit with a hint of graphite. Very fine indeed. The 2013 Adrianna V yard Malbec Fortuna Terrae is from a distinct parcel that has stony soils with alluvial compacted sand on the surface.

The wine is fermented with wild yeast (a pattern is emerging here) and aged in large 2,000 liter new French Oak ovals. This is very pure, with a red fruit expression shadowing the spicy black fruit. This is very, very elegant and refined. The 2013 River Stones Malbec comes from a parcel that has the same subsoil as the White Stones Chardonnay – oval white stones, the remnants of an ancient riverbed. The wine has floral black fruit and very smooth tannins, very layered, with a great minerality. I would have a hard time placing this in the New World in a blind tasting. The 2013 Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec is from a parcel that is filled with scattered limestone and ancient marine deposits, or “white bones”. The soil is rich in rhizobacteria, microorganisms that help vine roots absorb nutrients. Thus, the name of the wine in Latin, which translates to “elegant microbes of the earth.” This is indeed very, very elegant, with elevated acidity. It is almost Barolo-like in its structure and depth. Very impressive. We ended the tasting with the wine that put Catena on the world fine wine map – Nicolás Catena Zapata 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon . This is 78% Cabernet Sauvignon and 22% Malbec from select parcels in the La Piramide, Adrianna, and Nicasia Vineyards, wild yeast fermented, and aged in French Oak for 24 months, with another 24 months in bottle. Here are my tasting notes, quoted directly: “Amazing. Layers of elegant black fruit; cassis, black cherry liqueur, blackberry. Velvet tannins. Only 13.5 % ABV !!!!!” This was one tasting I will never forget. Congratulations to Dr. Laura Catena and the entire team at Bodega Catena Zapata for your vision and commitment to excellence!

January–April 2018

xii