2013 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard River Stones

(Adrianna is from densely planted--4,600 vines per hectare on average--alluvial soils with limestone in a drying river bed that has reformed on many occasions; aged in 25% new oak): Bright ruby. Great lift to the blackberry, crushed cassis, licorice and violet aromas. Wonderfully juicy and light on its feet, conveying a sophisticated grain and sexy sweetness with outstanding inner-mouth tension and stony minerality. Finishes with superb energy and fine-grained tannins. Wonderfully chewy and tactile yet somehow weightless. Great pungent length and lift. This site is a continuation of the White Stones Chardonnay plot. When these vines were planted in the early 1990s, noted Alejandro Vigil, people thought it was too cold here even to produce sparkling wine.

There are three separate bottlings from the Adrianna vineyard, one of them the 2013 Adrianna Vineyard River Stones, sourced from the stonier part, close to the dry river, the equivalent to the White Stones white, with a north-facing exposure, the warmer exposure, which in cooler years like 2013 works nicely. This has the combination of power and elegance, of flowers and fruit, minerality and spice, precise, focused, harmonious, all about finesse. This seems to be the one that worked better with the cool year. 2,000 bottles produced. I was shown some 20+ wines blind while visiting the Catena Institute and I could immediately find this wine even if I had only tasted it a couple of times before. Such is the strong personality of this wine... Dec 2016, www.robertparker.com, Drink: 2016-2023