Catena Zapata Birth of Cabernet

A wine with a story of love, war, and the magic of chance.

🐝 The Legend Behind the Grape

This wine isn’t just a Cabernet—it’s a myth reborn. It all began in a vineyard where bees, drawn by the sweet perfume of flowers, unknowingly carried pollen from Cabernet Franc to Sauvignon Blanc. This natural crossing, born of instinct rather than intent, gave life to a grape that would change the world: Cabernet Sauvignon.

Years later, a winemaker returned to his abandoned vineyard, scarred by war but still standing. There, he discovered grapes of a new kind. Upon tasting them, he fell in love. Thus began the legacy of Cabernet Sauvignon—a grape born of chance and carried by passion.

🦊🧜‍♀️🌍 The Allegory: Animals of the Vine

Catena Zapata gives this story a whimsical, symbolic twist:

• Cabernet Franc is the fox, clever and noble, channeling Cardinal Richelieu, its historic patron.

• Sauvignon Blanc becomes a siren—a creature of wild beauty, part woman, part bird, full of untamed character.

• Cabernet Sauvignon, their offspring, is a traveler and explorer. From the French Pyrenees, he journeys to the base of the Andes, to the Catena Zapata Pyramid in Argentina—his new home and stage.

🍇 Vinification: Art Meets Nature

• Manual Harvest: Every grape is hand-picked for quality.

• Fermentation: In concrete eggs, small stainless steel tanks, and French oak roll-fermenters, at 26–28°C for 12–18 days.

• Maceration: 18–22 days to extract full flavor and character.

• Aging: 18–24 months in French oak barrels (first to third use) for nuanced complexity.

🌱 Vineyards: Terroir of Two Worlds

1. Angélica Sur Vineyard (El Cepillo, San Carlos – Valle de Uco)

   • Altitude: 1,100 masl

   • Soils: Alluvial, clay with gravel top layers

   • Planted: 2005

2. La Pirámide Vineyard (Agrelo)

   • Altitude: 940 masl

   • Soils: Clay-rich topsoil, with rounded rocks beneath

   • Planted: 85 years ago