Evento

Summer Wine Dinner

Get ready to be transported to South America through the extraordinary wines and flavors of Argentina and its Mendoza region.

Join us for a very special evening Thursday, June 4, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm. Renowned Chef Jose Garces will host the first in our Summer Wine Dinner Series as we welcome Catena Zapata Vineyards.

Chef Jose Garces will welcome you at a cocktail reception to start the evening. Sommelier Aaron Beaver, having just returned from his own travels throughout Argentina, including Mendoza, joins Winemaker Ernesto Bajda to expertly pair Catena Zapata wines with Chef de Cuisine Louis Goral's multi-course tasting menu created specially for the event.

At 6:30pm, guests are invited to join Chef Garces for cocktails, wine and hors d'ouveres, followed by a wine experience and progressive dinner. Guests will have the chance to learn from Catena Zapata's Winemaker himself. Wines featured throughout the evening will include:

* Catena Alta Chardonnay 2012 & Malbec 2011
* Catena Zapata "White Stones 2011 & White Bones 2011" Single Vineyard Chardonnays
* Nicolas Catena Zapata "Malbec Argentino" (Nicasia & Adrianna Blend)2010
* Catena Zapata "Nicasia" Single Vineyard Malbec 2010
* Nicolas Catena Zapata Bordeaux Blend 2009

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MEET WINEMAKER ERNESTO BAJDA: At Home on Mendoza's High Altitude Vineyards

"In my family, you always know that if someone starts to sing, something extraordinary has happened-- it's an involuntary reaction. So when I taste our wine and my first reaction is to sing, then I know we've created a masterpiece."

Ernesto (Nesti) Bajda started working in the Catena family's vineyards in 2002. In 2005 he joined the research team to work on microvinifications to determine the best places in the family's high altitude vineyards. Now with more than a dozen vintages behind him, Nesti not only has expertise in research and vineyard management, but he also has a unique knowledge of the precision tools to identify variability in vineyards, which is what he believes are the key to achieving outstanding wines. A graduate of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo in Mendoza, Nesti earned his degree in Agricultural Engineering, with specializations in Viticulture and Oenology. Nesti regularly performs in a male octet. His favorite piece to perform is Una Furtiva Lagrima from Donizetti's "L'Elisir d'Amore."