Growing Conditions
Old Vines from the Catena Zapata Family Vineyards, Nicasia and Angélica. The origins of the vines, which we call “The Catena Cuttings”, is a prephyloxeric Massale Selection from the Angélica Vineyard.
Harvest time varies depending on each lot's soil composition. Harvest time can vary by several weeks between one lot and another within the same vineyard.
Nicasia Vineyard: Named after Nicolás Catena Zapata’s grandmother.
Shallow loamy soil. Gravel on surface and topsoil.
Location: La Consulta District, San Carlos Region, Mendoza, Argentina.
Altitude: 3,593 ft (1,095 m) elevation.
Planted in 1996 (20 years old vineyard).
Angélica Vineyard: Named after Nicolás Catena Zapata’s mother.
Soil: Adjacent to dry river bed. Light gravel, loam and clay.
Location: Lunlunta District, Maipú Region, Mendoza,
Argentina.
Altitude: 3,018 ft (920 m) elevation.
Planted in: Circa 1930 (90 years old vineyard).
Harvest
Dry weather (precipitations 20-60% lower than usual), small berries and slightly lower yields; cooler temperatures overall. The 2019 harvest happened about 1-3 weeks earlier than usual, and the grapes were in pristine condition with not a drop of botrytis or downy mildew.
Winemaking
20% whole cluster and 80% whole berry fruit is hand-loaded into 225-500 liter new French oak barrels for a 100% barrel fermentation for a period of 28 days,
allowing seamless oak integration. The fermentation temperature is kept low, extracting intense aromas, and the cap management is done by hand to ensure soft, gentle flavors and tannin extraction. Wild yeasts.
Alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in barrel leaves considerable lees and sediment.
Aging
The wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.
