Bodega Catena Zapata : Adrianna "White Stones" Chardonnay 2024

Characteristics and tasting tips for the Adrianna "White Stones" Chardonnay 2024 by Bodega Catena Zapata

Tasting

Appearance
This wine shows a lovely pale yellow hue, beautifully lit with silvery highlights.

Nose
The bouquet reveals aromas of grapefruit, white pear and white flowers, underpinned by a chalky minerality. With aeration, delicate notes of linden, fresh almond and a hint of salinity emerge.

Palate
The attack is lively, with a razor-sharp acidity. The texture is sleek, leading to a vibrant, long and remarkably mouthwatering finish that showcases the great precision of this high-altitude wine.

Food and wine pairings
This cuvée pairs beautifully with seafood such as oysters or raw shellfish, as well as white fish tartares. It is also an excellent match for grilled fish, crustaceans served with a lightly creamy sauce, or young hard cheeses.

Serving and cellaring
This wine is best served at a temperature of between 10 and 12°C. Blessed with excellent ageing potential, it can be cellared until around 2039.

A high-altitude Chardonnay of great purity from the heart of Mendoza by Bodega Catena Zapata

The estate
Founded in 1902 by Nicola Catena, Bodega Catena Zapata is a leading name in winemaking in Argentina. Located in the Mendoza region, this historic estate has played a major role in raising the international profile of Argentine wines, driven by Nicolás Catena Zapata, a true pioneer of high-altitude viticulture. Today, the estate remains family-owned. Laura and Adrianna Catena are at the helm, carrying on this legacy of excellence, notably through in-depth research into high-altitude terroirs and an approach centred on regenerative viticulture.

The vineyard
The grapes come from the Adrianna vineyard, perched at an altitude of 1,450 metres in the Gualtallary district, in the municipality of Tupungato, within the Mendoza region. The cuvée is made from a selection of rows in Block 1, a 2.5-hectare micro-plot. This distinctive terroir is characterised by limestone soils covered with oval white stones, which gave the wine its name.

The vintage
The 2024 vintage was marked by cooler-than-usual weather conditions. These particular conditions led to a later harvest, yielding grapes with a beautifully balanced profile and great finesse.

Winemaking and ageing
After hand harvesting, the musts undergo cold settling. Fermentation is carried out with indigenous yeasts. The wine is then aged on its lees for 45 to 95 days, during which a veil of yeast develops. Ageing continues for 12 to 16 months in second- and third-use French oak barrels. Finally, the cuvée is bottled without fining or filtration.

Grape variety
100% Chardonnay