This must have been music to the ears of Debjit Dasgupta, Director of Ace Beveragez who has been importing a range of wines from Catena Zapata since 2005 and is all smiles when one talks of his success with the sales of Malambo, the entry level label being produced by Bodega Catena Zapata in collaboration with the heavy weight UK distributor Bibendum, since last year.
Malambo may not even be distantly close to the two top rated Chardonnays, the Catena Alta 2002 and the Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 2004 (of which only 200 cases have been produced), paired with the mouth watering foie gras soup, and sautéed scallops, but the Chenin- Chardonnay does reflect on the quality of a vintner whose wines have been rated very highly in the US and UK and reinforces the dictum that buying a low-end wine from a top quality producer is a good strategy, as his philosophy is reflected even at the low price points.
Michael Broadbent, the well-known author, critic and journalist, Angelo Gaja, Baron Eric de Rothschild (of Chateau Lafite-Rothschild), Serge Hochar (of the iconic winery Chateau Musar in Lebanon), and other towering personalities of the wine world paid tribute to Decanter's Man of the Year 2009 at the dinner hosted at the residence of the Argentinean ambassador's in London, as reported by Decanter.
In a detailed speech Catena reportedly explained how he had come to see that Mendoza, and particularly the Uco Valley, could produce world-class wines. 'Everyone thought I was mad when I planted the Uco Valley at 1440 metres. It suffered from late frost, early frost, ripeness problems’.
If Robert Mondavi was impressed by the Bordeaux style and quality of winemaking during the sixties and the seventies, Catena was motivated by what Robert Mondavi had achieved in Napa, during his visits in the early eighties.
California had ‘won’ against the best of Bordeaux wines in the ‘Judgement of Paris ‘blind’ tasting of 1976. Presumably keeping this fact in mind he said, 'It was a non-European region challenging France for the best wines in the world. It was a revelation.'
The dinner at which dishes were paired with the top wines of Catena, had many of the other ‘Decanter Man of the Year- like Hugh Johnson. Several other guests included Oz Clarke, wine writers Anthony Rose and Beverley Blanning MW whose latest book ‘Choosing the Right Wine’ was reviewed by delwine earlier this year, Catena's first consultant Jacques Lurton, Chateau Lafite’s managing director Christophe Salin, Bibendum chief Michael Saunders, and Alejandro Vigil, Catena’s chief winemaker.
Catena was declared the Decanter Man of the Year 2009 in end-March 2009.
For a complete list of the Decanter man of the Year 1984- 2009, click here.
To know more about Catena, click http://www.catenawines.com/eng/press.html
|