LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

“Nicolás Catena comes from a traditional Argentine winemaking family. At the end of the 19th Century, Nicolás’ grandfather, Nicola Catena, sailed from the Italian region of Marche to Argentina in an effort to find happiness in the New World.

Nearly two decades later, after selling the vineyards that did not guarantee premium quality wine, Nicolás Catena started a revolution. He innovatively began to experiment with different grapes, new planting methods, and only selecting vineyard locations alongside the Andes Mountains, up to 1500 meters in altitude. Since the 1990s, Catena Zapata’s Chardonnay, Malbec, and Cabernet Sauvignon rank among the finest class of wines in Argentina.”

For his contributions as a tireless pioneer of the Argentine viniculture, Dr. Nicolás Catena Zapata has been awarded the 2011 “Lifetime Achievement” honor by the WINE-AWARDS of Der Feinschmecker, Germany’s leading wine and food magazine.

Nicolás Catena receiving the award, Munich, March 26th, 2011

In May of 2011, Nicolás Catena Zapata and his wife Elena traveled to the United States to attend collector wine events in Boston, New York, Princeton, Washington DC, San Francisco, and Denver.

During their visit, Nicolás Catena presented the new vintages of Catena Zapata’s top wines to renowned connoisseurs and collectors from all across the United States. The wines included the 2007 Nicolás Catena Zapata (Parker 98 pts), the 2007 Catena Zapata Malbec from the Adrianna Vineyard (Parker 96 pts), the 2007 Catena Zapata Malbec from the Nicasia Vineyard (Parker 95 pts), and the 2007 Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino (Parker 97 pts). He also offered older vintages from the Catena Zapata collection, and signed several single magnum bottles of his legendary 2001 Nicolás Catena Zapata. In addition, Nicolás and Elena presented their daughter Laura’s book, Vino Argentino, an in-depth, insider’s guide to the wines and wine country of Argentina.

Laura Catena, Managing Director of Bodega Catena Zapata, conducted her own collector tasting events in Taipei, Seoul, Toronto, Tokyo, Buenos Aires, Houston, and Miami. Several Catena Zapata magnums were auctioned for local charities, including United Way and a shelter for victims of domestic violence. In Taipei, a 3-liter bottle of 2001 Nicolás Catena Zapata was auctioned for $10,000 and donated to a local organization supporting the elderly Taiwanese.

Notes: The magnificent evolution of the 1997 Catena Chardonnay was a great surprise to several top collectors. The 2001 Nicolás Catena Zapata and the 2004 Adrianna and Nicasia Single Vineyard Malbecs were all well received; which of the three would have the longest life was hotly debated.

We would like to thank each and every one of our hosts for their hospitality, support, and attention to detail, making all the events extremely successful.

VINO ARGENTINO, BY LAURA CATENA / DEC. 12, 2011

The spanish english edition of Vino Argentino, Laura Catena´s book about the history of Argentina´s wine, was presented at the Sofitel hotel in Buenos Aires.

Laura was introduced by celebrated chef Francis Mallmann, iconic aegentine food and wine writer Fernando Vidal Buzzi and publisher Rodolfo Reyna, from Catapulta. The elite of Argentina's bookstores and lifestyle press was present.

The book is currently being translated in several other languages including an English-Portuguese edition which will be released shortly.

About Vino Argentino: “There is something lyrical and renegade embedded in the Argentine soul, not to mention a breezy self-regard that Catena says is the key to what makes Argentina arguably the most exciting wine country on earth right now…” Mark Rozzo, The New York Times.