Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Aromas of pears and quince with touches of ginger, peaches and herbal freshness. The palate is lively and incisive, showing that same herbal freshness, supported by crunchy tannins.
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Vinous
The 2024 Chardonnay G-Lot from Uco Valley was aged for 12 months: 80% in 25% new and 75% second-use French oak, 20% in stainless steel. Fragrant, it opens with prominent oak, coconut, caramel, cedar, acacia and green apple aromas. This is indulgent, dry, broad and fresh, with flavorful intensity balancing richness and brightness. The 2024 is a finely calibrated crowd-pleaser with a modern touch.
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Wine Enthusiast
Delicate salty notes and lemon zest define the nose. This elegant wine from a high-altitude vineyard planted in 1992 features subtle chalkiness, hints of ginger and golden apples.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Produced predominantly in barrel, with 20% of its volume in stainless steel, the 2024 G Lot Chardonnay is sourced from the original 1992 plantings at Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary. It offers a more stone-fruit-driven, lees-derived expression of the site, opening with a peachy nose and aromas of marshmallow and cheese rind. Broad and textural on the palate, it concludes with a layered, saline finish.
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Wine Spectator
Balances vibrancy and richness well, with chive flower and lemony elements up front joining toasted almond, melon and peach flavors that linger on a refreshing note. Shows hints of slate on the finish.
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Jeb Dunnuck
From two lots within Gualtallary, including the grand Adrianna Vineyard estate, the 2024 Chardonnay G-Lot has a little bit of new oak (25%) for adding richness and a bit of malolactic fermentation for the same cause. Unctuously layered and textured, it has medium-bodied intensity, and a softness of lemon verbena and fresh pear seasoned in baking spice.
Laura Catena is a fourth generation winemaker who grew up in a traditional Argentine-Italian winemaking family in Mendoza. Laura splits her time between Mendoza and San Francisco, California, where she is an emergency physician, university professor and occasional tango dancer. Laura had the vision of creating a new breed of Argentine wines: small quantities, artisan quality, and true to their individual terroirs. A pioneer of small-grower relations in Mendoza, Laura's incredible, limited production wines come from some of Argentina's best fruit from low-yield, high-elevation, family-owned vineyards. The wines are named after her children - Luca, Dante and Nicola - and symbolize her love for her family. The background of the label is the McDermott coat of arms of her American husband, Daniel McDermott.
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.
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.