At the last Wine Speak, a longtime winemaker friend asked us, “When are we going to start discussing ‘sense of place’ rather than grape varieties?” That was the inspiration for this panel. And, in this case, rather than simply do a comparative tasting, we sought to bring in two speakers from very different niches on the subject.
From day one, Turley Wine Cellars specialized in old-vine Zinfandels and took the perception of this grape to another level. Today, Turley, based out of Paso Robles, features wines grown up and down California without skipping a beat in quality and prominence. Under the guidance of director of winemaking Tegan Passalacqua, Turley wines are seemingly more stylistically transparent, balanced and much more about sense of place. We are asking Tegan to share his insights into what sense of place can mean.
Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars in Paso Robles
Laura Catena of Bodega Catena Zapata in Argentina
For a completely different take on sense of place, we will also feature Laura Catena, CEO of our very first Argentinean winery guest—Bodega Catena Zapata. “Founded in 1902, Catena is world renowned for its pioneering role in resurrecting the Malbec grape variety and in discovering extreme high-altitude terroirs in the Andean foothills of Mendoza. Their highly revered Adrianna Vineyard is their crown jewel. Located at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet, it has been called the Grand Cru of South America. The 2016 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard “River Stones” was rated 100 points by The Wine Advocate.”
Featuring Tegan Passalacqua of Turley Wine Cellars in Paso Robles, California, and Laura Catena of Bodega Catena Zapata in Argentina.
Tasting the following wines: Turley 2016 Paso Robles Zinfandel, 2016 Contra Costa Zinfandel, 2016 Howell Mountain Zinfandel, Catena 2016 Historic Rows Malbec and 2015 Nicasia Vineyard Malbec.
