White Stones, Catena Zapata
Pure, attractive gold. Like a hayfield on a sunny day.
For the New World, this is undoubtedly austere. Although give it a little while (even a day or two!) and it opens up to ripe stone fruits, mineral notes and a flush of white flowers.
Full and rich, yet cool and mineral. This is a wine that can be decanted or enjoyed on Day 2 or 3. It is complex, and while the oak use is sensitive, the wine has a lot to give and there’s a slight nuttiness that will surely evolve in time. Don’t rush this wine, it is unfolding before your eyes.
Give us some buttery lobster. Or just leave us alone with the bottle.
100% Chardonnay, 12.9% alcohol. 7.4gr acidity. Unfined. Unfiltered.
Winery Samples. No decanting, tasted over a period of 4 days.
More on the Wine
This White Stones Chardonnay is the impressive duo of single-vineyard Chardonnays from Argentine wine-royalty, the Catena Zapatas. The vineyard in question is their high-altitude Gualtallary plantation, Adrianna, which boasts over 110 hectares of handsome vines. However, these wines are carefully selected vine by vine for their different soils. White Stones as you may guess has a much stonier composition which shows the ancient riverbed the vines are planted above. The stones are all white, covered in calcium deposits. The Bones part is where much finer soil is found, although it is peppered with limestone and calcareous deposits where you can find fossilised animal bones. That would be the only difference between the wines, which are each from the same mix of same clones (76 and 95) and slowly fermented in old French oak.
More on the Producer
Catena Zapata is one of the most renowned and larger wineries in Mendoza, they are well known for making some of the top quality Malbecs in the 90s and turn of the century. This is from their top line of the winery, which sits alongside other single-vineyard wines from the Uco Valley.
The Adrianna Vineyard is one of the highest altitude in the Uco Valley and within the Gualtallary appellation, which is fastly becoming one of the most individual in Argentina. The head winemaker for this wine is Alejandro Vigil.
Read more about Catena Zapata.