Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Chardonnay White Bones 2021

CATENA

Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Chardonnay White Bones
2021

  • Sustainable
  • Vegan
Country
Argentina
Regulated designation
Dénomination origine (DOC)
Region
Mendoza
Varietal(s)
Chardonnay 100 %
Colour
White
Producer's website

About this winery

At heart, Catena is a story about family. Family who poured their lives, passion, and spirit into transforming scrub-laden desert into some of the most beautiful and unique vineyards in the world. Family that passed their knowledge from generation to generation, blending collective memory with state-of-the-art science from the new world of viticulture. Family who, through risk-taking, faith, and a little luck, transformed their treasured Mendoza terroir into the fountainhead of the...

See the CATENA detail page for more information on this brand

Production notes

The Adrianna vineyard is located at almost 5,000’ elevation in the Gualtallary sub-district of the Tupungato region. White Bones Chardonnay comes from select rows within Block 1 of the Adrianna Vineyard. The name refers to the soil underneath these rows, which is layered with calcareous deposits and limestone as well as fossilized animal bones - remnants of a river that used to pass through the region. There are many theories about why the grapes coming from these rows have such distinctive floral aromatics with an earthy minerality in the nose and palate. It may be related to the minerals in the soil or to the effects that the calcareous deposits have on root penetration.

Press reviews

James Suckling

- 100 points -

#17 Top 100 Wines of The World

May 2024 (Vintage 2022)

This is always aromatic, exotic and idiosyncratic, with its enchanting aromas of green fruit, green curry, citrus, ash, green passion fruit and spearmint. Almost full-bodied on the palate with lots of mineral tension. Bright acidity quickly takes over, followed by a long, bone-dry finish that goes on and on. So pure, unique and thought-provoking.

See detailed press review
James Suckling

- 99 points -

February 2022 (Vintage 2020)

Fascinating nose of white lavender, lemon, pineapple, green apple, thyme, rosemary, sourdough, almond and oyster shell. It’s medium-bodied with vibrant acidity and a tense, spicy palate. So much flavor and fragrance. Incredibly expressive, with evolving layers of fresh fruit, spices, flowers and herbs.

See detailed press review
USA Wine Ratings

- 99 points -

November 2022 (Vintage 2020)

The nose of the 2020 White Bones Chardonnay is an explosion of thyme and rockrose, aromatic, open, expressive, outspoken, showy and exuberant. It also has notes of white flowers and citrus, pine needles and incense, continuously developing new layers, curry, something smoky, more and more aromatic herbs, nuanced, complex and with a magnetic attraction that makes you go back to the glass over and over again. This was harvested all at the same time, whereas it was sometimes harvested over four different moments in the past; so this is a bit different and an extraordinary year for this wine, transcending the conditions of the year, despite coming from a warmer year. This is very tasty and long, stony and very persistent. Amazing juice! 

See detailed press review
Wine Advocate

- 99 points -

November 2022 (Vintage 2020)

The nose of the 2020 White Bones Chardonnay is an explosion of thyme and rockrose, aromatic, open, expressive, outspoken, showy and exuberant. It also has notes of white flowers and citrus, pine needles and incense, continuously developing new layers, curry, something smoky, more and more aromatic herbs, nuanced, complex and with a magnetic attraction that makes you go back to the glass over and over again. This was harvested all at the same time, whereas it was sometimes harvested over four different moments in the past; so this is a bit different and an extraordinary year for this wine, transcending the conditions of the year, with lower alcohol and pH (12.5% and 3.1) than the 2021, despite coming from a warmer year. This is very tasty and long, stony (more than White Stones!) and very persistent. Amazing juice! 5,760 bottles produced.

See detailed press review
James Suckling

- 99 points -

#3 Top 100 Wines of Argentina

November 2023 (Vintage 2021)

What an exotic, perfumed yet elegant nose here full of thyme, local herbs, green papaya, ginger and green curry. Lemon grass and lime zest. So fresh and elegant on the palate with a chalky texture to the center-palate. Really transparent, subtle, quiet and long. A unique chardonnay from a cool and elegant vintage, but intense and idiosyncratic. Unique to the landscape.

See detailed press review
James Suckling

- 99 points -

April 2021

Honeysuckle, ripe pear and some dried apple. So perfumed. Full-bodied with incredible intensity and length. So much green-apple character and lots of flowers. Dried mango, too. The touch of flor growth in the barrel gives this unique character. Goes on for minutes on the finish. Endless, vibrant acidity. Minerally texture.

See detailed press review
Vinous

- 98 points -

October 2024 (Vintage 2022)

Sourced from a parcel of the Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, planted at 1,450 meters, the 2022 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Bones delivers a distinctive flavor. Crafted in a cool, sunny vintage, the chalky soils of Gualtallary lend a compact character to this high-altitude Chardonnay. Yellow in hue, it opens with aromas of hops, ivy and pea shoots, accompanied by hints of mint, sage, ginger and lime. Slightly concentrated, with vibrant energy and tension, it offers a blend of chalky texture, elevated acidity and a compact yet graceful palate. It lingers with long-lasting flavors and a subtly malic texture. This mountain white wine set a benchmark in 2009 and reaffirmed it in 2022.

See detailed press review
Tim Atkin MW

- 97 points -

May 2021

“Pure limestone” is how Ale Vigil describes the soils in this part of the Adrianna Vineyard,
planted in 1992. Saline, taut and focused, this stunning Chardonnay is an Uco Valley tribute to the great whites of Burgundy, with minerality to spare, chiselled acidity, stylish oak and a finish that lingers tantalisingly on the palate.

See detailed press review
Tim Atkin MW

- 97 points -

2017

It’s a high bar to clear, but this is the best release yet of this remarkable Chardonnay, sourced from limestone soils in Gualtallary. Subtle, leesy and delicately oaked, with pithy acidity and notes of citrus and struck match, it wouldn’t look out of place in a line up of Grands Crus Burgundies. 2017-24

See detailed press review
Vinous

- 96 points -

June 2021

The 2019 Chardonnay White Bones Adrianna Vineyard is from the eponymous vineyard in Tupungato and was aged for up to 16 months in used French barrels. Pale yellow with golden flecks. The intense aromatic profile is led by herbs such as basil and a crystal-clear lavender whiff, alongside cedar, vanilla and a backdrop of green apple. Broad and creamy on the palate but with a terse texture and superb freshness, this has an unctuous feel. White fruit aromas appear at the back of the mouth. Ending with a lovely, herbal finish, this is a wine inspired by Chablis but possessing a wild purity all its own.

See detailed press review
James Suckling

- 96 points -

June 2017 (Vintage 2014)

Aromas of stone, chalk and cooked apple follow through to a full body, with so much sea salt, dried apple and pear character. Extremely long finish. Drink now or hold. Made from organically grown grapes.

See detailed press review
Tim Atkin MW

- 96 points -

2024 (Vintage 2022)

Do I prefer White Bones to White Stones in 2022? To me, they are different but equally delicious. Showing the influence of marine limestone, this is an intensely pithy, chiselled Chardonnay with finely judged oak integration, notes of lemongrass, greengage, wet stones, grapefruit and elderflower and a lingering, chalky finish.

See detailed press review
Vinous

- 96 points -

August 2022 (Vintage 2020)

The 2020 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Bones from Gualtallary was aged for 16 months in used barrels. Green in the glass. The complex nose presents notes of ginger initially followed by hints of mint, green apple and iodine. The aging process helps to bring out the grape’s flavors. In the mouth, it’s compact with a taut, saline flow, creamy feel and finish in which the flor leaves a dry, cleansing sensation. An enticing wine.

See detailed press review
Wine Advocate

- 95 points -

December 2016 (Vintage 2014)

The character of the soils used for the 2014 White Bones Chardonnay is so strong that it marked the wine more than the character of the vintage. 2014 was definitively riper than 2013, but the wine is still incredibly fresh and mineral. The parameters of these whites from Adrianna are just incredible, extremely low pH (around 3) and very high acidity (around nine grams in tartaric), which should provide for longevity. And great freshness and vibrant palates, of course. 2,100 bottles produced.

See detailed press review
Wine Advocate

98+

November 2022 (Vintage 2021)

The 2021 White Bones Chardonnay was harvested at two different points of ripeness and then blended into the final wine, which is subtler than the explosive 2020 I tasted next to it but with the same palette of aromas—thyme, rosemary, lavender, rockrose, white flowers, citrus, pine needles, incense, curry and spices—and the palate is seamless, mineral and with a chalky texture. It's brilliant and expresses the variety, vintage and soil perfectly, but today I give the edge to the 2020, which I think transcends the vintage.

See detailed press review