Recently we were lucky enough to sample a new superb super-Malbec, coming to British Columbia in September from Argentina, the 2015 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino.

The wine was introduced to us over empanadas at Joey Restaurant by Luis Reganato, the Chief Vineyard Manager at Catena Zapata, with a few words dialed in remotely from Laura Catena . Along with the launch, the winery reminded us of the history of Malbec: the “Life, Death and Rebirth of Malbec. From Eleanor of Aquitaine, to the Italian immigrants in Argentina, to the phylloxera death in Bordeaux and it’s rebirth in Mendoza”.

The stunning label of this new wine reflects the Malbec struggle, and features four female figures portrayed around the bottle. The first of the figures is Eleanor of Aquitaine, the Queen of France who married the King of England and brought the “black wine”, as she called it, to England, placing Malbec in high society; the second figure represents the immigrants that brought Malbec from France to Argentina; the third the evil Phylloxera, the disease that killed off the Malbec in France, and the fourth Adrianna Catena, of Catena Winery, the family that has set the tone  for Malbec in Argentina. There is also a vineyard named after Adrianna where the Malbec is grown.

Catena has taken Malbec to the next level by growing the grape in higher elevations, meaning thicker skins, more colour, structure and acidity. Previously the top tier wine at Catena was the Cabernet Sauvignon, but with the superb terroir the higher altitudes provide, the winery decided to make a super Malbec at the same tier. Argentina is the largest producer of Malbec in the world and there are so many different expressions of Malbec depending on whether it’s grown in cooler or warmer regions. Catena pioneered Malbec in Argentina and showed off the wine in rest of world when they started exporting in the late 80’s, as before that the Argentinians drank all the Malbec domestically.

Check out more on the history of Malbec in the video below.

 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2015 is made from old vines from the Catena Zapata Family Vineyards, Nicasia and Angelica and is made by loading 20% whole cluster and 80% whole berry fruit into 225-500 liter new French oak barrels for 100% barrel fermentation at low temperatures, ensuring the intense aromas aren’t compromised. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels  for 18 additional months. This Malbec is deep purple in colour and ripe with blackberries, hints of leather, caramel and a most wonderful structure, showing soft tannins and a velvety finish. This is your perfect wine for a meat-centric BBQ with only the most deserving of your friends. Available in September 2018 $129.99 Hospitality Pricing.