02/09/2024
Trip to Mendoza, Argentina
My spouse —Jessica — and I just returned from a trip to one of the most incredible wine producing areas in the world — Mendoza, Argentina. Justifiably known for great Malbecs, this area also produces a dizzying array of other world-class red wines including Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot as well as white wines including Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and a delicious varietal native to Argentina — Torrentes. Sparkling wine is also produced in Mendoza — for example, Chandon established its first sparkling wine production facility outside of France in Mendoza in the 1950’s. Mendoza’s Bodegas Salentein also produces excellent sparkling wines.
Recently, the ultra-luxury magazine “The Robb Report” ranked the 50 best vineyards in the world and named Mendoza-producer Catena-Zapata number one in the world. Nicolas Catena is the Robert Mondavi of Argentina — building his family’s long-established winery into a global powerhouse after being exposed to the winemaking industry in California early in his career.
We had a long lunch at Angélica Cocina Maestra, a newly opened Michelin-honored restaurant at the Catena-Zapata winery where we did a deep dive into their wines. Two other Argentine wineries were also named to the top 10 in the Robb Report — Bodegas Salentein and El Enimigo (discussed below).
In addition, Catena has entered into a number of key partnerships which have spawned Mendoza producers Caro and El Enemigo. “Caro” is a partnership between CAtena and the ROthchild family. We have carried their Malbec called "Aruma" for many years. Arguably, the most famous chef in South America is Francis Mallman whose cooking is inspired by his native Patagonia. Mallman has a fantastic restaurant — another Michelin-honored establishment: 1884 — located at the Caro winery that we had the good fortune to dine at.
El Enimigo winery is a partnership between Adrianna Catena (daughter of Nicholas Catena) and the head winemaker of Catena-Zapata -- Alejandro Vigil. This winery was named number 10 in the world by The Robb Report. Cabernet Franc from Mendoza is fantastic and the one from El Enemigo which we have carried for many years is a prime example. However, the single best wine we had while we were in Argentina was a Gran Enemigo Torrentes. We tasted this and many other El Enemigo wines during a fantastic lunch at the winery's restaurant — Michelin-honored Casa Vigil. (Recently, a Miami branch of Cafe Vigil opened and is also very good,). We also had a chance to meet the co-owner-winemaker and arguably the most famous winemaker in Argentina: Alejandro Vigil. We also met Adrianna Catena and her sister Laura — founder of Luca … another great producer located in Mendoza. We offer a fantastic Malbec made from old vines from Luca.
We went to several other Mendoza producers. One particularly noteworthy producer we visited was Decero. Loosely translated into English, “Decero” means "from nothing." This is because this winery was built from scratch. The owner also owns Carneros producer Cuviason and a German producer. The winery itself is spectacularly beautiful and produces great wine. We have been selling Decero Cabernet Sauvignon for some time. However, they produce a Bordeaux blend called “The Owl and the Dust Devil” that is really fantastic that we will be bringing in later this year when it is available. With the assistance of an app, the label of this wine comes to life and tells the story of how the owls who live in the vineyard help with the production of this wine.
We offer the wines discussed above and many more Argentinian wines in our shop. Come see us; we’re located at 700 Eaton at the corner of Elizabeth in Oldest Town Key West. We have free parking in the back of our shop. We’re open daily from noon until 7p. Or call us for free delivery in Key West at 305-916-5742
