Last week I was especially fortunate to be invited to a very special wine dinner at the Capital Grille, hosted by Bodega Nicolás Catena Zapata. This amazing Argentine winery has been producing some of the finest, internationally acclaimed wines for many years. So to say I was thrilled to have the opportunity to taste through this incredible portfolio of wines, is quite the understatement.

The winery was started by the Italian immigrant, Nicola Catena, who left Italy and sailed to Argentina to escape the European famine in 1898. Catena planted his first Malbec vines in Mendoza in 1902. Nicola had a son named Domingo who was very much the optimist that his father was and truly believed in the future of Malbec in the high altitudes of the Andes. Years later, after the death of Domingo, his son Nicolás then took the reins and drove Catena Zapata’s Malbec to the heights it now sits upon, as one of the premier wines in the world today. Now, along with his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, Nicolás maintains his place, creating what is considered to be among the greatest wines made today.

So, back to the dinner! This was nine wonderful courses matched perfectly by the culinary staff of the Cap Grille. The most striking and memorable wines of the evening for me were two Chardonnays…yes Argentine Chardonnay. The first was the 2009 Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Chardonnay and the 2009 Adrianna Vineyard White Bones Chardonnay; these were my wines of the night. These small production wines are easily mistaken for Grand Cru Burgundies, and I defy any of my fellow wine lovers to pick this out of a blind tasting and say, “Oh ya, from Argentina…for sure.” These two wines left quite an impression on most all of those in attendance. Now, I could go on and on about these two Chards, but they take nothing away from the red wines that put Catena Zapata on the map. From the 2008 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Malbec to the 2001 Nicolás Catena Zapata, these are absolutely delicious, powerful red wines. One was better than the next and, as I said earlier, matched so well with the food. This evening certainly was a check on my wine bucket list…next on the list?

Ken Amendola, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor

Follow him on Twitter @abcwinkena