Laura Catena, Vice President, Bodega Catena Zapata:
"The 2009 Harvest will be hard to forget. It was scary at the beginning
because of the December rains - for a moment there we thought that the El
Niņo rains of 1998 were back. But by the middle of January we started to
relax a little (never completely of course). The weather stayed dry from the
end of December through May, with moderate temperatures, almost no rains,
sunny and breezy at night. The key to this vintage was judicious irrigation
management. Drip irrigated vineyards had a definite advantage. We had the
opportunity to stress each and every vine just the right amount. The average
harvest date was about 10 days earlier than usual, and the sanitary
conditions, aromas, tannin development, especially in the reds, were
absolutely perfect. I just tasted through our Malbecs in early May, and I
initially thought that several of the Catena tanks were Catena Alta quality.
There is abundance of everything this year: aromas, concentration, length,
natural acidity."
Alejandro Vigil, Head Winemaker, Bodega Catena Zapata:
"2009 is my best harvest at Catena Zapata since I started working here in
2003."
General Conditions in Mendoza by Alejandro Sejanovich, Head of
Viticulture, Bodega Catena Zapata:
In most regions there was about 25% more rain than usual (5 to 50mm more) in
the late spring/early summer and these rains had a natural cooling effect in
the months of November and December. Towards the end of December it stopped
raining in most regions. Veraison started a bit earlier than usual, and the
canopy was well developed early in the harvest season because of the rains.
It stopped raining just at the right time for red varietals and very high
altitude chardonnay to experience the necessary amount of stress. We did a
great deal of Scholander pump water measurements this year because in the
dry conditions of Jan-May it was essential to stress the plants judiciously.
Most lots were harvested between 7 and 10 days prior to the usual date.
Because of the ideal weather conditions of February, March, April and May,
we were able to harvest all our vineyards at 4 different times, a method
that we find helpful as a way to intensify each aspect of the vineyard's
terroir: aromatics (early harvest), fine tannins and mid palate (mid
harvest), concentration of tannins-polymerization (late harvest.)
Angelica Vineyard (Lunlunta, Maipu - 2,850' (860m) elevation, 70+ years
old)
The conditions in Maipu were very different from those in the Uco Valley.
Due to the January heat, this area was actually harvested a bit later than
usual (2 wks), because the plants were stressed and not getting their due
rest at night (warmer nights). Lot 18, located right by the river bank, had
naturally lower yields and smaller berries than usual = nice concentration.
Lot 20 was harvested in three phases and gave us the nice marmalade and
slightly over-ripe aromas and flavors that add a special touch to the Catena
Alta Malbec blend.
La Piramide Vineyard (Agrelo, Lujan de Cuyo - 3,100' (940m) elevation, 27
years old)
It was nice to avoid the hail here this year (after 2 years in a row.) The
old vine Cabernet Sauvignon from the Mendoza massal selection population was
extraordinary, very balanced with intense black fruit aromas and very smooth
mouthfeel. The clonal and population Malbecs (what we call the Catena
cuttings) were perfectly ripe and tasty, a good year overall for this
vineyard.
Domingo Vineyard (Villa Bastias, Tupungato- 3,700' (1130 m) elevation, 17
years old)
Promising for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (Dijon Clones). Laura will use
some of this Pinot Noir for the Luca Pinot.
Eugenio Bustos Vineyard (Eugenio Bustos, San Carlos - 3,700' (1130 m)
elevation, 6 year old vineyard,
first year use for Catena)
We are very excited about this vineyard which was in the "middle of nowhere"
when we first planted it. Laura had been buying the grapes from one of the
few old vineyards in the area - Basso - since 1999 and the quality was so
good that we decided to buy land in the area. The Malbec was harvested 2
weeks earlier than usual, with deep black fruits, fresh natural acidity and
just everything that a cool climate Malbec should have - no overripe
features.
Nicasia Vineyard in Altamira (Altamira, San Carlos - 3,870' (1180 m)
elevation, 13 year old vineyard.)
This vineyard was harvested a few weeks earlier than usual; we harvested
most of it in March. Perfect natural acidity - no correction needed -
intense black fruit; very, very dark and concentrated with no hard edges on
the tannins, ultra rich, ultra silky. Alejandro Vigil was also very
surprised and excited by the quality of the Cabernet Sauvignon in this
vineyard, he says, "This was a great year for this variety that has such
great potential in this region." There were no vegetal notes in the Cabernet
Sauvignon that was deeply colored, rich in tannins and of perfect ripeness
with no over-ripe features (Alejandro particularly dislikes over-ripeness in
cabernet sauvignon.)
Adrianna Vineyard (Gualtallary, Tupungato - 5,000' (1500 m), 17 years
old)
This vineyard saw a somewhat different weather pattern than the rest of
the Uco Valley because it rained more here in February. It stopped raining
towards the end of February, and after that it was clear and sunny. The
canopies were big so there was lots of photosynthesis going on. We harvested
most of the Malbec towards the end of April when it had been completely dry
for 2 months. The Malbec has the typical floral notes that we get from this
vineyard with perfect balance between sugars, acidity and tannins. We expect
the wines to be intensely concentrated and velvety at the same time.