Catena Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec 2013

Catena Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec 2013 is a full-bodied, single-vineyard red wine from the Gualtallary district in the Uco Valley of Mendoza, Argentina. Founded in 1902, Bodega Catena Zapata is perhaps the most famous winery in Argentina and has been at the forefront of resurrecting the Malbec grape variety whilst establishing itself as one of the pre-eminent fine wine producers in the country. This wine takes its name from a small parcel of the revered Adrianna Vineyard that is covered with oval white stones that came from an ancient riverbed. The stones provide excellent drainage and also moderate the temperature fluctuations experienced at such high altitude, absorbing heat during the day to be radiated back out during the cooler nights and acting like ice cubes after a particularly cold night. "Great lift to the blackberry, crushed cassis, liquorice and violet aromas. Wonderfully juicy and light on its feet, conveying a sophisticated grain and sexy sweetness with outstanding inner-mouth tension and stony minerality. Finishes with superb energy and fine-grained tannins. Wonderfully chewy and tactile yet somehow weightless. Great pungent length and lift. This site is a continuation of the White Stones Chardonnay plot. When these vines were planted in the early 1990s, noted Alejandro Vigil, people thought it was too cold here even to produce sparkling wine." Vinous, 2016