On to the Malbec, and our first wine after a shaky start got progressively better. The 2008 Catena Malbec still has young-tasting chewy tannins that suggest it would benefit from more time in the bottle, but a little air goes a long way towards softening them. Dark fruits dominate on the palate and although the wine was initially rather closed it opened up over time and notes of leather and mocha began to emerge. It went well with a good Brie and would probably be quite a reliable steak wine, priced at a fairly reasonable HK$165. The second Malbec, a 2007, belonged to the Catena Alta range, made with grapes from vineyards with elevations ranging from just under 3000ft to just under 5000ft. This too opened up, and having another year of bottle rgentina, like Chile, is working hard to trade up. More age, as well as better quality fruit, gave it an expensive wines are being made, particularly from Malbec advantage over the first wine that became more which has become established as the country’s signature red apparent over time in the glass. It has a similar dark fruit character, but as wine grape. But in terms of quality for price it seems to remain generally you would expect at more than double the true that the smart buys are at less than HK$400 – quite often price, greater complexity with notes of chocolate, much less – and that those planning to spend more should ask themselves how cinnamon and lavender and softer tannins. This wine is currently on offer at HK$345, but much they are willing to pay for the marketing and packaging. The Catena family, who have been planting Malbec – a Bordeaux varietal – in normally priced at HK$418. The highpoint of the tasting should have been Argentina since 1902, are among the most important pioneers of Argentina’s wine industry and have been major contributors to putting Malbec and Mendoza Province, the Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2006, made from old vines in high elevation wineyards. now Argentina’s most important viticultural region, on the world wine map. Micro-fermented in new French Oaks The winery, under winemakers Nicolas Catena and his daughter Laura, barriques before being aged makes some of the most highly for 24 months in new French esteemed wines to have been Oak, and shipped in one of produced in the country, and the thick heavy bottles that offers a balanced portfolio of have become a hallmark of the wines made from different premium end of Argentina’s vineyards relatively high in the Malbec production, it sounded foothills of the Andes. promising. Growing at high altitudes We decanted two hours concentrates polyphenols in before the tasting, and much the grapes, and there is some of the intense cassis originally evidence to suggest that heartapparent on t he nose had health benefits from Argentina’s dissipated by the time the wine reds may be greater than those The Andes provide a was poured. stunning backdrop at from wines made from grapes Bodega Catena Zapata A lthough this was grown closer to sea-level. agreeably mineralic, with a Be that as it may, HK Golfer good harmonious balance assembled a small group of interested wine lovers to try a selection of Malbec wines from the Bodega Catena of sweet berries and spices with tobacco and mocha notes, there was a consensus among the Zapata, supplied by Watson’s Wine Cellar. We started, however, with a 2008 Catena Alta Chardonnay, relatively highly oenophiles present that even at the offer price priced at HK$388 per bottle, perhaps because 80 per cent of the grapes used of HK$728 the wine was uncompetitive with others in the same price bracket. Two bottles of come from a special parcel of land in the Bodega’s Adrianna Vineyard at an elevation of almost 5000ft. The other 20 per cent come from the Domingo the Catena Alta Malbec 2007 at HK$690 would have been a much better deal. The regular retail Vineyard at an elevation just over 1000ft lower. The wine has pronounced acidity with plenty of citrus, stone fruit and honey, price for the wine from Watson’s is HK$898. For those who care about such things and will be most enjoyed by those who like their Chardonnays well oaked. A serious food wine rather than one suitable as an aperitif, this Chardonnay Robert Parker gives the Catena Alta Malbec was tasted, as is the HK Golfer custom, with cheese, but the wine maker’s 2007 92 points, and the Catena Zapata Malbec recommendation of pairing it with chicken marinated in lime and honey makes Argentino 2006 96. That works out at about HK$100 per point of difference. better sense.
DRIVING RANGE
Elevating Wines
The Catena family, one of the pioneers of Argentina's wine industry, has been making fine wines for well over a hundred years. Robin Lynam reports on a selection of their offerings that are now available in Hong Kong
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HK Golfer・APR 2011
HKGOLFER.COM