Nicolás Catena "La Marchigiana" Bonarda, Mendoza, Argentina, 2019 (Natural Wine)

Overview of the Wine
Great wines begin in the vineyard. Our vision is to make rich and unforgettable wines that are true to the special place they come from. The story of Catena is the story of Argentine wine.

Founded in 1902, Argentina’s Bodega Catena Zapata is known for its pioneering role in resurrecting Malbec and in discovering extreme high altitude terroirs in the Andean foothills of Mendoza.

Over the years, Nicolás Catena Zapata discovered the influence altitude has on fruit quality. As one climbs the altitudes of the Andes the average temperature decreases and the amplitude between day and night temperatures increases.

This environment provides the ideal climate for grape maturation. Each of the Catena Zapata family vineyards is divided into parcels according to their soil composition. These parcels are farmed individually, with an eye on encouraging their most authentic fruit expression.

Natural. 

Grape / Blend
Bonarda

Origin
Mendoza, Argentina

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
La Marchigiana honors the natural and sulfite-free homemade wine legacy with this very limitied production. In 1898, Nicola Catena arrived in Argentina from Le Marche, Italy, bringing with him the family tradition of creating natural wines, preserved only by their own tannins. It is a "naked wine", in which only the grapes and terroir speak. Once settled in Argentina, Nicola embraced the practice of fermenting wine in Clay pots. Widely spread in the Cuyo region, this practice dates back to Colonial times where wine was made from Criolla grapes in amphoras and "botijas. 

Concentrated blueberry and dark fruit laced with cedar, tabacco, earth and spice. Medium to full-bodied wine. Complex herbal notes. Finely grained tannins. Balanced, fruity palate. Natural, sulfite-free wine. Drink now.

93 Points - James Suckling 
Lots of crushed berries and hints of walnuts and mahogany. Some thyme. It’s soft and round with pleasing tannins and a fruity, creamy-textured finish. No sulfur added. Fermented and aged in amphora. So delicious now.

93 Points - Patricio Tapia - Descorchados
Despite the heat of eastern Mendoza, which usually delivers a bonarda of heavy flavors and high in alcohol, in this case a fresh red, of tension and vibrancy is felt. Thanks to early harvests, there is a firm acidity here that helps the fruit express itself in a much juicier and livelier way. This bonarda is fermented in clay amphorae and then aged in them for eight months before being bottled.

Product size: 750ml