Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard ‘River Stones’ Malbec 2020

Name: Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard ‘River Stones’ Malbec 2020
Brand: Catena Zapata
SKU: NEGCATRSM143
Price: 296.99 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock

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1 Bottle

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About this Wine

Limited to just 24 bottles! Grab yours while supplies last!

This cuvée takes its name from a small parcel of the Adrianna Vineyard that is completely covered with oval white stones and was the site of an ancient riverbed. The abundant stones provide optimal drainage and extreme temperatures. They absorb heat and moderate the nights, but also function like ice cubes after a very cold night. Stony soil Malbecs tend to be extremely aromatic, rich and luxurious, just like the River Stones Malbec from Adrianna.

For over four generations, the Catena family has grown vines in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, Argentina. In his pursuit to make wines that stand with the best in the world, Nicolás Catena identified the best lots and rows, in the Catena family’s estate vineyards. The Adrianna vineyard is located at almost 5,000’ elevation in the Gualtallary sub-district of the Tupungato region.

This wine can be enjoyed young or aged for decades.

Type	Red Wine
Varietal(s)	Malbec
Country	Argentina
Region	Mendoza
Brand	Catena Zapata
Vintage	2020

Wines of Argentina

Argentina is the 5^th largest wine producing nation in the world and the most important in South America. Summers here are generally hot and dry while snowy winters help to irrigate vineyards as melted snow flows down from the Andes mountains. Grapes very easily achieve full ripeness due to these growing conditions.

There are many grape varietals planted in Argentina, but the most famous and important is Argentinian Malbec. Grown best in the equally famous Mendoza region, the top-rated Malbec’s come from the high altitude sub regions of Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley. These districts are located in the foothills of the Andes mountains between 850 and 1,520m in elevation. Argentinian winemaker Nicolas Catena Zapata was the first person to plant Malbec at such a high elevation of 1,500 metres, and is widely credited for elevating the status of Argentinian Malbec and the Mendoza region with this successful move.

Besides Malbec, there are many other grape varietals planted in the country. However, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay are the two other varietals that are most notable. Pedro Gimenez is the most widely planted white grape varietal in Argentina, but unfortunately it does not get much exposure internationally.

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Critic reviews

James Suckling – Wild blackberries, pine cones, bark, chili chocolate, cracked pepper, cloves, iodine and crushed stones on the nose. Full-bodied with firm, creamy tannins. Lovely coolness and minerality to the dark fruit. Powerful, too. Try in 2026.

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate – The 2019 was a hard act to follow, but the 2020 Adrianna Vineyard River kept its poise, though it showed a little riper and with grainier tannins that gave it some faint rusticity and earthiness. This is one of three Malbecs from the Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, from a stony part of the vineyard, hence its name. The wine matured in large oak foudres, and the oak is still perceptible and might need a little more time to get integrated. This tends to be the most austere of the three bottlings, even in the warmer years like 2020, and it shows a little more fruit. It's juicy but beautifully textured with a spicy twist of curry that reminded me of some bottlings from El Enemigo in El Cepillo. It seems to open up slowly in the glass—the violet and berry aromas get complicated by some spice (curry?)—and the palate feels more layered. This is a superb expression of the austere wildness of Gualtallary.