Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Bones Chardonnay 2015
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James
Product Details
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
The nose lively citrus notes and white stone fruit. The palate is a voluptuous wine with intense flavors of pear, apple and subtle floral and mineral hints. The finish is long and clean with a strong mineral side.
The is a rich, full-bodied Chardonnay that nonetheless possesses a crisp acidity making it the perfect foil for meatier fish like tuna and swordfish as well as seafood dishes prepared with butter and cream. Try this wine with a dish like Roasted Monkfish with Cardinal Sauce for an unforgettable meal.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Extraordinary quality that rivals many grand cru Chablis. This is an intense, focused Chardonnay sourced from a 2-hectare site, growing on limestone-rich soils located at 1,450m altitude. Great structure, laser-like focus, purity and ageing potential for a minimum of 10 years from this benchmark white.
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Wine & Spirits
Catena planted the Adrianna Vineyard in 1996 in Gualtallary, pioneering what is today one of the most sought-after regions in the Uco Valley. Winemaker Alejandro Vigil selects one area of the vineyard especially rich in alluvial chalk for this chardonnay. He ages the wine in 500-liter barrels, allowing a veil of yeast to develop, lending saline notes, like those of a Fino Sherry. As the wine opens, bright white fruit gains precedence, along with the penetrating mineral notes. White Bones seems to distill the desert soils of Gualtallary in a crystal clear and brilliant way. A delight to drink now, it has enough inner strength to last for a decade.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I had two vintages to taste from the two whites from Adrianna Vineyard, which provided a fascinating comparison. Like all the rest, the 2015 White Bones Chardonnay had a long fermentation with wild yeasts and aged in French barriques for some 12 to 16 months, depending on the lot. It's fascinating to compare this with the 2016 and with both years from the White Stones. This is the more exuberant, open, aromatic and balsamic of the four wines, while it is still very young and fresh. The palate is also very expressive and combines power with elegance and freshness. It's long, tasty and mineral, with a salty finish. 4,500 bottles were filled in July 2016.
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James Suckling
This is a layered and dense Bones with lots of ripe pineapple and mango character. Fresh Thai basil, too. Full body, juicy and ripe fruit and a fantastic finish. Typically generous and flamboyant. Release in October 2018. Drink now.
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Bodega Catena Zapata is one of Argentina's high altitude Malbec pioneers. The Catena family began making wine in Mendoza in 1902. Nicolas Catena, third generation family vintner, was one of the first to see the potential of Mendoza's mountain vineyards for producing high quality Malbec. In 1994, he became the first Argentine to exprot a world-class bottling of Malbec under the Catena label. Nicolas is joined by his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, in their relentless pursuit of world-class quality from the family's high altitude vineyards. Laura has done extensive work in introducing Malbec and other varietal plant selections, soil and climate analysis, and sustainable practices throughout Mendoza. Head winemaker, Alejandro Vigil, has been at Catena Zapata since 2002 and works with Laura and Nicolas to make wines that express the family's vineyards and palate.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.