Description
The 2018 Adrianna Vineyard River Stones is always the freshest and most austere of the three single-plot bottlings from the Adrianna Vineyard on Gualtallary. This fermented with some 70% full clusters, as it was harvested at three different times and the first two fermented with full clusters and the last pick was added destemmed to the fermentation. The nose is subtle, elegant and nuanced; the grapes were picked quite early in 2018 and that ensured a vibrant palate with almost citrus (blood orange) sensations. A small percentage of the wine matured in stainless steel. They have been working with the irrigation and only irrigated it four times that year, achieving more precision in the viticulture, which gets reflected in the balance of the wine. This has very fine tannins, a very fine thread and a dry, long and tasty finish. This is markedly stony, true to the character of the place. Red fruit, textured and mineral. 99/100 RP
Producer Information: Catena
Four generations of the Catena family have farmed the vineyards of Mendoza, ever since Italianfounder Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vines in 1902.
Robert Parker’s 2005 book about the 100 “Greatest World Wine Estates” featured only one winery from South America. Catena Zapata. Parker wrote. “Argentina’s greatest visionary is Nicolás Catena Zapata, and his crusade for high-altitude vineyards and conservative viticultural practices has resulted in one after another breakthrough wines that have pushed Argentina to the forefront of the modern winemaking revolution.”
Joined by his daughter Dr. Laura Catena in 1995, the father-daughter team’s vision is to elevate Argentine wine for another 200 years through the study of high-altitude terroir and the preservation of ungrafted Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon massale selections. In 2018 Catena Zapata joined La Place with two wines. Nicolás Catena Zapata, the winery’s top Cabernet Sauvignon blend, and Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae, the winery’s top Malbec cru.
