winemaker's notes:
The Catena Chardonnay (from the Agrelo Vineyard) has a golden yellow color with pronounced green reflections. It boasts concentrated aromas of ripe tropical and citrus fruits with light notes of vanilla and toast. The mouthfeel is full, round and soft, with explosive fruit flavors of ripe pears and pineapples and a creamy texture. The wine has a lengthy finish with crisp acidity and touches of smoky toast.
At 940 m (3,100') elevation, the Agrelo Vineyard enjoys warm sunny days that allow for full and even ripening, and cool nights that allow for an excellent balance between acidity and sugar. All year round the vineyard is managed with the latest pruning and trellising techniques. Vertical trellising, pre-harvest cluster removal, vine to vine canopy management and controlled irrigation are used at the Agrelo Vineyard to grow Chardonnay fruit with opulent flavors.
"Full yellow-gold. Rather exotic aromas of apricot, orange, honey and smoky oak. Then sweet but firm, with very intense flavors of apricot, peach, kiwi and minerals (Catena described these flavors as "acidic tropical fruits"). Catena's chardonnays are consistently among the elite of Argentina, as few other producers manage to capture this much freshness of fruit."
-IWC