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Anthony Gismondi on Wine
Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae Vino de Parcela Malbectext
94POINTS
17½/20

Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae Vino de Parcela Malbec 2019

Gualtallary, Tupungato, Valle de Uco, Tunuyán, Central Region, Mendoza, ArgentinaExpect intense black cherries, raspberries, and black tea with a strong, savoury dried-herb undercurrent. The attack is silky with dense, sweet tannins and a surprisingly elegant fresh mid-palate balancing power and fruit. Juicy yet substantial, this is a great bottle of malbec that will age effortlessly, or you could drink it now with a rare to medium rare steak. Adrianna Vineyard is about extreme altitude clocking in at 1366 metres above sea level. Under Laura Catena, it may also be the wine world’s most studied piece of dirt. Laura’s father, Nicolás Catena Zapata, planted the Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary in 1992, hoping to find the coolest site in Mendoza where vines would grow. The Winkler classification, a method developed in California to track the degree days at which the vine grows, places Adrianna between zone 1 and 2, equivalent to somewhere between Burgundy and a cool part of Bordeaux. Undaunted, the Catena family planted cabernet sauvignon and chardonnay cuttings from France and malbec from Lot 18 of their 75-year-old Angélica vineyard. Over time, the cabernet proved less interesting, but the malbec and chardonnay excelled in minerality, density, weight and mouthfeel. Plenty of sunlight, slow ripening, and lower potential alcohol makes Adrianna an ideal vineyard site. Fortuna Terrae, or luck of the land, aptly describes this 5-hectare parcel inside Adrianna Vineyard, where the deep soils support numerous species of native vegetation that attract beneficial insects, birds and foxes that provide a natural balance to the site.Tasted: 24 February 2023Tasted by: Anthony GismondiPrices:
BC$145.99750mlselect private retailers
AB$157.52750mlselect private retailers
MB$184.99750mlselect private retailers
Producer: Bodega Catena ZapataDistributors: Trialto Wine Group
Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc.
Grape: Malbec