2019 Luca Pinot Noir G-Lot

Luca is the private project of Laura Catena. Laura has made her mark on the wine world and is often referred to as 'the face of Argentine wine', as she has meant a lot to the country. She recently presented her 100-year plan: "I want every collector in the world to have Nicolás Catena Zapata in their basement - that's my dream".

Another of Laura Catena's dreams was to create Luca, named after her eldest son. She wants to make quality wines with Luca, in which the perfect terroir, low yields per hectare and state-of-the-art winemaking are the keywords. The vineyards of Luca are located at an altitude of 900 to 1500 meters and are among the highest in Mendoza. Old vines can be found here, which may no longer produce much, but keep the quality of the vineyard (and therefore the wines) high. She wants to show the best expression of each grape variety. Luca has planted six grape varieties in total: chardonnay, malbec, pinot noir, syrah, cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc.

The grapes come from 'Gualtallary', a vineyard in Tupungato, at the foot of the Andes. With this, Laura Catena was the first to make a Pinot Noir of extreme altitude, namely 1500 meters above sea level. The warm days alternate with extremely cold nights, which contributes to slow, even ripening and retention of fresh acidity. A traditional vinification takes place, followed by a ten-month aging in oak barrels, 10% of which are new and the rest are second-year and third-year oak. The Laura Catena Luca Pinot Noir G Lot has a beautiful garnet red color in the glass. In the nose we smell strawberries, cherries, raspberries, leather and spices. In the mouth this is a full Pinot Noir with notes of leather, raspberries and spicy oak. The wine combines the elegance of the Old World with the ripe fruit of the New World. Nice light chilled drink. Delicious with grilled salmon and tuna. Also beautiful in combination with roast duck breast with cranberry sauce.