2023 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'White Bones' Chardonnay Gualtallary 3pk 3x750ml

Catena Zapata didn't just resurrect Argentine Malbec — they proved that high-altitude Mendoza could produce Chardonnay that stands with Burgundy and California's top sites. Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, the estate spans six historic vineyards in Mendoza, today run by Nicolas Catena Zapata and his daughter Laura. In 2023, the property was voted 'World's Best Vineyards.' The Adrianna 'White Bones' vineyard is the proof.

Perched at 1,450 meters in Gualtallary, the 2.2-hectare White Bones parcel sits on soil layered with calcareous deposits, limestone, and fossilized animal bones — remnants of an ancient river. The name is literal. Nicolas Catena established weather stations throughout the Uco Valley starting in 1992 to find the cool climate limit of vine cultivation. Gualtallary was considered too extreme for still wines. He planted it anyway. Day-night temperature swings of 15 to 20 °C drive thicker skins, intense aromatics, and a minerality not found elsewhere in Mendoza.

The 2023 vintage was marked by spring frosts that reduced yields, followed by very dry conditions and early harvests — picking ran 2 to 4 weeks ahead of normal. The result: elegant wines with high natural acidity and powerful minerality. The fruit undergoes cold settling for up to 24 hours, then a long fermentation of 45 to 95 days. It's aged 12 to 16 months in second-, third-, and fourth-use French oak — no new wood to mask the site — and bottled unfined and unfiltered.

In the glass, expect a lifted bouquet of citrus rinds, dried spices, white flowers, and fresh herbs with notes of sage, river mint, and lime zest. The palate shows green mango, finger lime, and passion fruit layered with green apple, mint, and nutty complexity. There's a silky richness without weight, building intensity around tense minerality and pickled ginger on the finish. Antonio Galloni called it "just a gorgeous wine," leaner and more vibrant than past vintages. Wine Spectator noted "personality and energy that just won't quit" and gave it a drinking window through 2040. This is what happens when you plant Chardonnay on fossilized bones at 5,000 feet.