Winemaker Notes
Concentrated blueberry and dark fruit laced with cedar, tobacco, earth and spice. A medium-to-full-bodied wine with finely grained tannins.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An attractive, juicy bonarda with a very ripe and deep nose full of dark plums, morello cherries and spices. Graphite and hints of black olives and dark spices, too. Full-bodied, very flavorful and juicy on the palate with well-judged balance between ripeness and freshness. Tannins are tight, potent and well-grained, which will need at least a year to come around.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2022 Bonarda Catena La Marchigiana originates from Rivadavia and underwent fermentation in amphorae. A purple hue in the glass. Its balsamic nose presents distinctive notes of olives and blackberry. The palate delivers a dry and earthy experience, with a taut flow and supple tannins that lead to a lingering presence of black olive.
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Vinous
The 2022 Bonarda Catena La Marchigiana originates from Rivadavia and underwent fermentation in amphorae. A purple hue in the glass. Its balsamic nose presents distinctive notes of olives and blackberry. The palate delivers a dry and earthy experience, with a taut flow and supple tannins that lead to a lingering presence of black olive.
Bodega Catena Zapata is one of Argentina's high-altitude Malbec pioneers. The Catena family began making wine in Mendoza in 1902. Nicolas Catena, third generation family vintner, was one of the first to see the potential of Mendoza's mountain vineyards for producing high quality Malbec. In 1994, he became the first Argentine to export a world-class bottling of Malbec under the Catena label. Nicolas is joined by his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, in their relentless pursuit of world-class quality from the family's high-altitude vineyards. Laura has done extensive work in introducing Malbec and other varietal plant selections, soil and climate analysis, and sustainable practices throughout Mendoza. Head winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, has been at Catena Zapata since 2002 and works with Laura and Nicolas to make wines that express the family's vineyards and palate.
Bonarda is a name given to a handful of distinct grape varieties, mainly growing in Italy and in Argentina. In Lombardy’s Oltrepò Pavese and Emilia Romagna’s Colli Piacentini zones, the grape called Bonarda is actually Croatina. In Novara, Bonarda Novarese, often blended with Spanna (Nebbiolo), is actually Uva Rara. DNA profiling shows that most of the Bonarda in Argentina is actually identical to California’s Charbono—and Charbono is actually the Douce Noire grape from Savoie. Somm Secret—Bonarda Piemontese, an aromatic variety, is the only true Bonarda. Before phylloxera, it covered 30% of Piedmontese vineyard acreage.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.