Catena Zapata; white, "Adrianna White Stones Chardonnay".
Category: Catena Zapata
"Adrianna White Stones Chardonnay" Mendoza 2019 98+ WA, 98 JS, 95 TA; 75 cl.
29 January 2024
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Tasting Notes :
Critical Acclaim :
The amazing 2019 White Stones Chardonnay comes from
a select group of 27 rows planted on lot I of the Adriana Vineyard,
and the composition of those rows is soil with white oval stones covered by gravel.
The Adriana Vineyard is planted at an altitude
of almost 1,500 meters above sea level,
in the district of Gualtallary in Tupungato.
The stony soil prevents deep root growth,
providing optimum drainage.
This soil, which is very poor in organic matter,
contributes to the vines' permanent stress conditions.
The cool nights allow for very slow ripening,
optimal acid retention and low yields.
This is always a more austere wine than the White Bones,
more mineral and restrained, less aromatic,
with great balance, a little higher in alcohol and with very good acidity,
rounder and more Meursault than Chablis
but still with citrus freshness and pungent flavors and always some spice (curry)
because of the aging in barrel with flor.
This year, the two whites show a more marked personality,
possibly aided by the style of the cooler year but
also because the winery has a better understanding of the places.
It's still very young and undeveloped;
it's drinkable now, but with more time in bottle,
it should develop greater complexity.
Now the finish shows acidity and salt, which make
it very vibrant. 6,600 bottles were filled in May 2020.
A very fresh, bright white with sliced apple, pear and light cream.
Full-bodied with a very pretty texture.
Mineral, chalk and lightly salty mineral undertones.
Intense finish. Really takes off.
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Catena Zapata White Bones Chardonnay is an outstanding wine.
TASTING NOTES : This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of savory spices,
leaves, mineral notes and a hint of flowers.
Try it with broiled lobster in a decadent cream sauce.
(Tasted: March 23, 2022, San Francisco, CA)
The 2019 Chardonnay White Stones Adrianna Vineyard is
from the eponymous vineyard in Tupungato,
Uco Valley, and was aged for up to 16 months in used French barrels.
Bright yellow in the glass.
The nose offers hazelnuts, herbs and a whiff of
oak alongside hints of linden blossom and acacia.
Intense and concentrated in the mouth,
this has a skeletal structure and a compact, saline,
tangy palate before powerful aromas of fruit and oak gather at the back of the throat --
to deliver an elongated finish helped along by the acidity.