Alta Chardonnay
2018
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...
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80% of the fruit from this vintage comes from the Adrianna Vineyard, sitting at an altitude of 4,757 ft in Uco Valley, Mendoza. The remaining 20% comes from Domingo Vineyard, at 3,675 ft, with loamy, limestone soil and a surface covered completely by gravel.
Whole clusters of grapes were pressed and fermented in 500 L French oak barrels with natural yeasts at low temperatures. 70% of the wine went through malolactic fermentation. The wine was aged for 14 months in first, second and third use French oak barrels.
A bouquet of white fruit and floral aromas intermingle with delicate citrus notes. Concentrated stone fruits, ripe pear and apple greet the palate with just a hint of minerality. The finishes is long and complex with crisp acidity.
This opens with aromas of dried apricots and salted lemons, lifted by a floral note of chamomile. The palate is medium to full-bodied with tension, subtle salinity and pleasant fleshiness. A blend of fruit from the Adrianna and Domingo vineyards, this is a deeply comforting chardonnay combining a generous texture with incisiveness.
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Pie crust, smoked pineapple, lemon curd and zesty citrus on the palate. Medium-bodied, showing fresh, creamy fruit and a lengthy finish
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The 2022 Chardonnay Alta Historic Rows originates from Gualtallary and Villa Bastías, Uco Valley vineyards. It was aged up to 14 months in a combination of new and used barrels. Yellow in hue with a golden sheen. The floral nose presents appealing green apple, cedar, and nut aromas with hints of fennel and quince in the background. On the palate, it has a creamy, chalky texture and tart acidity resulting in a taut, refreshing mouthfeel. A well-crafted Chardonnay that sums up the advantages of high-altitude vineyards.
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A light gold hue here with a creaminess to the nose and palate. Dried lemon and a hint of brioche. A rounder, medium- to full-bodied chardonnay with excellent balance and poise. Some botrytis here with around 30% malolactic fermentation.
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The 2021 Chardonnay Catena Alta from Villa Bastías, Uco Valley was made with slightly botyric grapes aged for 12 months in a third new 500-liter barrels. Golden in color. The Sauterne-like aromas include ripe fruit, stewed apple and pleasant oaky notes. Sugary on the palate with freshness wrapped in a refined texture, the refined oaky flavors return at the back of the mouth.
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This is a serious white with dried apple, pineapple and white peach to the stone and honeysuckle character. Full-bodied, bright and fruity with a fascinating undertone of spice and cream. Drink or hold.
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Aromas of cooked apples, pie crust, cooked lemons and toffee follow through to a full-bodied, firm and tight palate and a vivid, intense finish. Serious white, as always.
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The 2023 Chardonnay Catena Alta Historic Rows was sourced from Villa Bastías and Gualtallary in Tupungato. Aged for up to 14 months in new and used French oak barrels, this bright yellow wine offers notes of pear and mint, complemented by subtle oak nuances. Dry, creamy and broad, the oak plays a significant role on the palate. However, it remains refreshing, with a long-lasting hazelnut finish. This is a classic continental-style wine.
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The new oak has been reduced to just 10% on this wine, making it appealingly fresh and fruit driven. Sourced from Gualtallary and Villa Bastías at the northern end of the Uco Valley, it still has some peachy sweetness, but it’s complemented by notes of citrus and orange zest and a long, flowing finish.
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The 2023 Alta Chardonnay is primarily composed of grapes from Gualtallary's Adrianna Vineyard, supplemented with additions from the Domingo Vineyard in Villa Bastias. This vintage includes some botrytized fruit, contributing to its exotic, ginger-inflected nose accented by an elegantly creamy backdrop. The palate is seamless and supple, combining a honeyed richness with stony clarity that runs through the focused finish.
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Pressed in whole bunches, the 2019 Chardonnay Catena Alta combines grapes from Villa Bastías and Gualtallary, both in Tupungato. The mature perfume includes pear and apricot with herbal hints that soar over a beautifully deep layer of French oak in which the wine was fermented and spent 14 months. The butter and cream are held in check by the excellently judged acidic tension making this a velvety, delicate and refreshing white.
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Two single vineyards at almost 5000 feet elevation at Gualltallary. Tupungato is the engine behind the Catena Alta Historic rows. The Adrianna vineyard’s calcareous soils and cool climate bring purity of flavour, stones and minerality. The gravel-covered Domingo vineyard makes up 20 percent of the blend, bringing even more freshness and minerality. The label walks the line between rich and spare, with baked pear, mandarin orange and spicy leesy notes, with the nutty, mineral wet stone balancing the equation.
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The 2021 Catena Alta Chardonnay is a textbook expression of a barrel-fermented Chardonnay. It fermented with indigenous yeasts in 500-liter barrels, where the wine matured for 14 months. It has good ripeness, 13.7% alcohol and full development of aromas and flavors, waxy apples, white flowers intermixed with smoke and spice, coming through as balanced, complete and seamless, fresh and with a low pH and notable acidity.
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