Associate Editor Claire Nesbitt chats with Laura Catena, the managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata and founder of Domaine Zico, and winemaker Alejandro Vigil, about their journey with pinot noir in Argentina and how Domaine Zico came to be.
"Pinot noir was always the heartbreak grape," Laura says. "Pinot noir was always difficult. We had a few good vintages in the beginning, in the late '90s... Because of that, we planted in Adriana."
And then, she said, "we had what I call the 'dark ages,'" marked by overproduction and rot. Following a few discouraging vintages, Laura said she and Alejandro then decided that "we're really going to do something important with pinot noir." It marked a turning point for Domaine Zico.