The extraordinary thing is that these first perfect scores for South America were given to two wines produced in the same vineyard, the Vineyard Adrianna , of the Catena Zapata family. When Nicolás Catena Zapata planted this vineyard in 1992, many called him a "madman," for growing vines at such a height. The vine had never been grown in the Gualtallary district of Tupungato Alto, Mendoza, because the climate was considered too extreme. This recognition of the best location for Argentina's Grand Cru, the Adrianna Vineyard, marks a historic moment for South American wine.

"Since 1902, each generation of my family has been working to raise the quality of Argentine wine and these awards for the Adrianna Vineyard represent a true recognition for our region," explains Dr. Laura Catena, daughter of Nicolás Catena and general director of  Bodega Catena Zapata.

"The terroir is everything, whether in France, Italy or Argentina, " says Catena. "When my father, Nicolás Catena, planted the Adrianna Vineyard, he was looking for a place in Mendoza where he could obtain wines capable of aging that were at the limit of cold for the vineyard. The organic vineyard Adrianna, planted at almost 1,500 meters above the old riverbed, has a unique combination of limestone and rocky soils, with microbiome and special climate, which result in a maze of different micro-terroirs. When vinifying separately the grapes from each plot, we find 'gold ' in this place".

The Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec 2016 comes from a portion of the alluvial, particularly stony, vineyard. The small oval stones provide excellent drainage and mitigate the strong temperature changes between sunny days and cold mountain nights. The suggested retail price for wine is $ 160 a bottle and the launch is scheduled for 2019.

Since its inception 40 years ago, Robert Parker 's "The Wine Advocate" 100 points (the "Oscar" of wine) marked the rise of the world's most select wineries. Today, owned by investors from Singapore, USA and Michelin in France, "The Wine Advocate" remains the most important wine publication in the world, with regard to the 100-point scale.

About Catena Zapata:

Dr. Nicolás Catena Zapata and Dr. Laura Catena represent the third and fourth generations of Catena Zapata Winery, a family winery founded in 1902 by the Italian immigrant Nicola Catena in Mendoza, Argentina.

Despite being born in a small wine-growing community of a few hundred inhabitants, Nicolás Catena Zapata sought to understand the intricacies of wine beyond his native Argentina. While studying economics at Columbia University in the 1970s, and later during an academic sabbatical in California, Nicholas was inspired by Robert Mondavi's Napa Valley revolution. Mondavi aimed to make North American wines that could compete with the best in the world and Catena be asked: "Why not do this in Argentina"What happened in the 80's and 90's was the beginning of the Great Revolution of Malbec, held by Catena." Nicolás decided to plant taller and taller vineyards at the foot of the Andes, seeking greater concentration and elegance in his wines. that their grapes would never ripen there.

Inspired by her father's tireless pursuit of knowledge, Laura Catena also crossed borders to broaden her horizons, studied biology at Harvard, and majored in medicine at Stanford. At first, Laura thought that she would spend her life drinking her family's wines, not producing them, until she realized that her father and her country needed help in Argentina. In 1995, Dr. Laura Catena founded the Catena Institute of Wine, with the aim of understanding the best times for planting vines in Argentina and to cause Malbec to resurrect from his near disappearance. Malbec had been, along with Cabernet Sauvignon, the most important variable in France since the Middle Ages, to the phylloxera epidemic at the end of the 19th century. Father and daughter decided to give Malbec back its former prominence. Two decades of soil study by Laura and the Catena Institute resulted in the discovery of unique "parcels" of Adrianna Vineyard.

Bodega Catena Zapata was awarded with the highest distinctions of the wine industry by numerous international critics of gastronomy and wine, due to its protagonism in the Malbec Revolution of Height in Argentina. The vision of the family continues to be the same as that of its founder: to raise the quality of the Argentine wine.

Source: PRNewswire

Image Source: PRNewswire