Zapata Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae
2019
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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Wet stone, iron, iodine and wet earth with a touch of white pepper and cocoa powder to the deep blue and black fruit. Brooding now, but super fresh. Full-bodied and broad on the palate with real tension, full of fresh, fine-grained tannins. Extremely long and fresh
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This is a really deep, decadent red, showing incredibly rich black soil, black olives and violets. Full body and rich tannins that exude power and intensity. Lots of white pepper and black fruit in the aftertaste. Extremely persistent.
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According to the winemaker Alejandro Vigil, the name Mundus Bacillus comes from the bacterial world that exists in that small 1.4-hectare piece of vineyard, Lot 3 of the Adrianna Vineyard, 1,400 meters above sea level in the north of the Uco Valley. The symbiosis of that molecular world with the roots in a soil with a strong calcareous component yields a wine with a firm texture, saline acidity, and chalky tannins. But there's also the cold year (in the context of Uco) and the mountain climate to consider, which have transformed the flavors here, leaving a sensation of intense red fruits in what may be the reddest and freshest Mundus that we have ever tasted, perhaps similar to that of 2016.
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Lots of black fruit with black truffles and dried flowers. Moss and earth, too. Full-bodied and earthy on the palate with blackberry and black earth. Firm, tight finish with juicy fruit at the end. Needs three or four years to open. Drink after 2024.
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Fascinating nose of blue flowers, blueberries, sea shells, moss and lemon grass. It’s medium-bodied with ultra-fine, silky tannins. So fresh and elegant with bright, saline character
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Tasting the 2020 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae next to the 2019 showed a different aromatic profile of darker fruit, denoting ripeness and sun. The wine was still very young with a luxurious, creamy texture and mouthfeel. 2020 was an extremely dry year (70% lower than the average with just 282 liters!), and the grapes were picked two to three weeks earlier. It has a bright, saturated color and a heady nose with ripe berries and a spicy, smoky twist from 19 months in oak vats. It's medium to full bodied, with a soft texture and velvety tannins, sleek and seamless.
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Sweet, joyful and full of life, this is immediately really quite vibrant on the palate, the rich, concentrated blackcurrants and black cherries given lift by high acidity and a touch of sweetness as well as saltiness that gives such a brilliant combination of flavours. Complex and confident. I like the styling here, there are hints of bitterness and some spiced edges that give nuance, still quite youthful. Great potential. Consistent winemaking and quality.
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Named after the bacteria that live in the soils of the Adrianna Vineyard - something of a specialist subject for Alejandro Vigil - this comes from a cool, high-altitude site and is the raciest of the Catena Malbec releases in 2021. Fermented with whole clusters before ageing in concrete, foudres and neutral oak, it’s sappy, focused and refined, with plum and bramble fruit, wafts of fennel and lavender and a chalky, mineral-etched finish.
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