- 100 points -

#17 Top 100 Wines of The World

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.

- 99 points -

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.

- 99 points -

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! 

- 99 points -

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.

- 99 points -

Dill, limes, green ginger and crushed stones on the nose. The palate is extreme, marked by intense mineral tension, pronounced salinity and a delicious severity that sets this wine apart from even the greatest chardonnays of the world. Incredibly fresh and mouthwatering. Spectacular.

- 99 points -

#3 Top 100 Wines of Argentina

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.

- 99 points -

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.

- 98 points -

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.

- 98 points -

Perennially one of Argentina's most aromatically distinctive wines, the 2022 Adrianna Vineyard White Bones opens with its signature extroverted profile of resinous herbs, ginger and dried white flower aromas with an exotic touch of curry leaf from its biological elevage. The palate is broad, textural and weightlessly rich, exuding more body and understated power than its dramatically incisive White Stone counterpart. It culminates in a slow-moving, swelling finish that gradually gains dimension, energy and verticality with further aeration. This is a singular and definitive reference point for Argentine Chardonnay.

- 98 points -

Extraordinary quality that rivals many grand cru Chablis. This is an intense, focused Chardonnay sourced from a 2-hectacre site, growing on limestone-rich soils located at 1,450m altitude. Great structure, laser-like focus, purity and ageing potential for a minimum of 10 years from this benchmark white

- 97 points -

“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.

- 97 points -

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

- 97 points -

The 2023 Adrianna Vineyard Chardonnay White Bones leads with its quintessentially lifted, vibrant bouquet of citrus rinds, dried spices, white flowers and fresh herbs, continuously developing additional complexity from its biological aging under flor. The palate combines live-wire focus with ethereal richness and a gently creamy core that runs through its mouthwatering and mineral-drenched finish. A fantastic iteration of the exotic, precise profile readers have come to expect from this pioneering Gualtallary Chardonnay reference point.

- 96 points -

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.

- 96 points -

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.

- 96 points -

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.

- 96 points -

I had two vintages to taste from the two whites from Adrianna Vineyard, which provided a fascinating comparison. Like all the rest, the 2015 White Bones Chardonnay had a long fermentation with wild yeasts and aged in French barriques for some 12 to 16 months, depending on the lot. It's fascinating to compare this with the 2016 and with both years from the White Stones. This is the more exuberant, open, aromatic and balsamic of the four wines, while it is still very young and fresh. The palate is also very expressive and combines power with elegance and freshness. It's long, tasty and mineral, with a salty finish.

- 96 points -

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.

- 95 points -

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.

98+

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.

BEST WHITES OF THE YEAR/BEST CHARDONNAYS OF THE YEAR/BEST VALLEY CHOICE GUALTALLARY

The Adrianna Vineyard was planted in the highlands of Gualtallary in 1996 and was one of the first to be planted in what has since become one of Argentina’s very fashionable origins. The vineyard has a diverse array of soils that are predominantly alluvial with a strong presence of chalk. Winemaker Alejandro Vigil selects the fruit for this White Bones from 2.2 hectares of the vineyard’s chalkiest sector. The wine is then aged in six 500-liter barrels, all under a veil of flor, and although it’s not too prominent, there’s a saline component to that aging that lends complexity to this chardonnay. But it’s the stony mouthfeel that rules here, to the point where the wine seems to be made not of fruit, but of limestone and chalk. This Bones reaches far beyond the variety to create a vision of a very special place. With minerality like few other Argentine wines