Laura Catena, Managing Director of Catena Zapata, Founder of the Catena Institute, and Owner of Luca Winery, used to frequently get asked, “What’s next for Argentina after Malbec.”  While Argentina has diversity in wine, its core calling card, quality, and diversity can also reside in Malbec.  From storied beginnings to becoming a new classic, Laura shares with us the stories of the history of Malbec, how Argentina and the Catena family have elevated it with tastings, books, and scientific research, and how the future of Argentina is truly...Malbec.  Detailed Show Notes: Laura’s backgroundBA Biology from Harvard, MD from Stanford, also studied FrenchShe grew up in the vineyards in Argentina, went to high school in the USShe wanted to help people, so she went into medicine, specifically emergency medicineNicknamed “La Lucita” by her grandfather for never standing still ER doctors have shifts that enable other hobbies or careers, thus working both in medicine and wineThe History of MalbecA background in French enabled Laura to read French historical documents about MalbecMalbec was known in Roman times, w/ Cahors the main areaCahors drunk by Eleanor of Aquitaine who married King Henry II, making the wine popular in the UK as wellIn Bordeaux, Malbec was very popular, used to make Cabernet Sauvignon smooth and ripened at the same time as Cabernet, vs. the earlier ripening MerlotAfter phylloxera, gets replaced by MerlotSaved in Argentina, where there was no phylloxeraIt was being pulled out in Argentina due to low yields (prone to coulure) when Nicolas Catena started to do something with the varietyThe breakthrough moment in 1999 - a Wall Street Journal article about Malbec started to change things, Catena was noted as the top wineMalbec gives different flavors from different regionsSalta - jammy, syrupyPatagonia - spicy, herbalAdrianna Vineyard - some are big and tannic, others more like Pinot NoirFlying Winemakers in ArgentinaPaul Hobbs, Michel Rolland, and others came and helped with changes to the winery (fermentation, oak barrel usage, etc.…)But soils and altitude were unique and different, which required new study, leading to the founding of the Catena InstitutePromoting MalbecCatena Malbec Argentino label - tells the history of Malbec through 4 women (including phylloxera)Catena ZapataInitially made Cabernet and Chardonnay for export (1990-1991 vintages)1st Catena Malbec was 1994 vintageDid lots of blind tastings, Laura’s mom went to stores and bought the best wine and blind tasted Chardonnays, claiming that every time, Catena wonBy the time Malbec was introduced, the Catena brand was already known for its qualityThe initial key market of the domestic Argentina market - provided income to support the cost of building up exportsBooksVino Argentino - wanted an English book to highlight ArgentinaGold in the Vineyards - talks about special sites globally, shows concept via illustration to make it more engagingA new book to be published on the history of malbecBelieves in not telling too many stories at once and making it interesting, usually for 1-3 yearsMalbec Argentino - created a 20 min theatrical play of the story, hired a UK actress to performCurrent discussion - “Let’s Talk about Grand Cru and Gran Vins” - discussion of Catena parcella wines with Pinot Noir and Nicolas Catena with Bordeaux or Napa Cab, with Larry Stone MSCatena InstituteShares all research for the benefit of everyone in ArgentinaEstablished to solve a specific problem: how to elevate Argentina’s winesPublish all work - must be of high quality for peer reviews, wanted to share it, and made other institutes want to do research togetherRecent Study:  Proof of Terroir through MalbecIt looked at 24 sites in Mendoza50% of the sites have a fingerprint that is identifiable (via 10 different anthocyanins and 20 different polyphenols)Shows proof of terroir and that some terroir is more identifiable than others -> showcasing the meaning behind “Grand Cru sites”Making