2016 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec
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Tasting notes
100% Malbec from a 1.4-ha parcel in the Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary at 1,390 m. The calcareous soils are ‘well drained and particularly rich in rhizobacteria, the microorganisms that help vine roots withstand stress and absorb nutrients’ – hence the name. 75% begins fermentation in concrete (50% whole bunch), 25% (juice only) in oak foudre. 18 months in French oak. TA 7.4 g/l, pH 3.45. Still deep crimson with an evolved rim. Complex and remarkably fresh. A savoury envoy from the Andes with structure but good-quality tannins. (JR)
Critic scores
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Earthy tobacco leaf edging, black spice, blackberry and black cherry fruits. The precision and elegance add a new depth to the Malbec, giving heather, raspberry leaf, sage, white pepper and olive paste to lend depths to the juicy bright berry fruits. 50% whole cluster on 75% of the grapes, and 25% in oak casks. This was a rainy, low sun year with relatively high yields - a year where terroir counted, and the best wines stood out, clearly indicating the quality of the site. 3.45ph.
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.
100% Malbec. 2008 was the first vintage. Harvest 18 March. Dark purplish crimson. Excellent energy on the nose – is this higher on average than the Nicolás Catena Zapata blend? Yes, this parcel in the Adrianna vineyard is at 1440 m. Very mellow palate entry with masses of fruit masking the tannin. Really very gorgeous with masses of savour and not a trace of superfluous sweetness. A very thrilling testament to the quality of high-altitude Mendoza Malbec. (JR)