The new wave of Argentine malbec was ushered in by Nicolas Catena, who studied and worked in California before moving back to his native land all the wiser from an enology and business standpoint. If one person can be credited with putting Argentine malbec on the map in the Bay Area, it is his daughter, Laura Catena, who for years has tirelessly been promoting her family’s wines while moonlighting as an emergency room doctor.
Catena’s polished, fruit-forward style has undoubtedly influenced the face of malbec in Argentina. Thanks to Catena Zapata (the name of the winery), Susana Balbo, Ben Marco, Tikal and Luca, all started by people who either share the name or worked for Catena, were able to get off the ground, putting their own spin on the grape.
Credit must be given where it is due, though, and as much as I respect the Catena family, another producer, Bodegas Weinert, was making world-class Argentine malbec as early as 1977.
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