Catena Zapata Adrianna Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec 2016 (750ML)

97 WA / 97 DE / 96+ VM / 96 JS

The 2016 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae is from a cold and rainy El Niño vintage that broke the mold of typical Mendoza weather. The grapes were picked a bit later and achieved a slow, perfect ripening while retaining very good freshness. They used 50% full clusters in this cooler year. The wine was pressed before it finished fermenting (in concrete), and the juice—without skins, pips or stems—finished fermenting like a white in the foudre. When I tasted the wines after bottling, this felt a bit dizzy, with the aromatics coming and going, sometimes showing a little open. But the wine settled in bottle, and the palate shows the core of acidity that lifts the wine and provides incredible freshness; the tannins are ultra refined, and there is great overall balance. Yields were lower, so they only filled some 3,360 bottles. LG – The Wine Advocate

In one of the coldest vintages of the last 30 years in Mendoza, the Adrianna Vineyard plot (just 1.4 hectares) produced crisp, red fruit in 2016. With 100% whole-bunch fermentation, this feels lush, juicy and full. A mass of ripe fruits that fill the mouth with freshness and tension, marked by a penetrating and firm acidity.Drinking Window 2021 - 2030--Patrico Tapia, Decanter

Saturated bright ruby. Aromas of brambly crushed blackberry and boysenberry, wild herbs and tropical bitter chocolate verge on exotic, but that's because this is one of Argentina's finest sites--and not just for Malbec. Thick and utterly seamless but with a weightless quality and razor-sharp definition that come from the limestone and calcaire-covered rock underneath a thin layer of marine deposits, not to mention the use of 50% whole clusters. Incredibly silky, concentrated wine with powerful saline minerality, a firm spine of mounting noble tannins and subtle chocolatey sweetness. Winemaker Alejandro Vigil describes this wine as "our purest Malbec expression for long aging." Adrianna was the first vineyard in Gualtallary, planted in 1992 and 1994 at a time when there was virtually no viticultural infrastructure here.-- Stephen Tanzer, Vinous Media

Aromas of violets, blueberries and black licorice follow through to a full body with tight and restrained tannins and a lively acidity. An energetic and youthful wine. Can age wonderfully but exciting to taste now. James Suckling