2021 Catena Zapata Malbec Adrianna Vineyard River Gualtallary District Uco Valley Mendoza 750 ml

There is a revealing anecdote from a recent Wine Spectator Q&A with Cantena Zapata’s wildly talented winemaker, Alejandro Vigil. In that exchange, Vigil tells a story about accompanying a few fellow Argentine winemakers in 2003 on a visit to a barrel maker, who tells the group they can grab any bottle they want from the cellar.

Given Argentina’s Malbec-focused kinship with Bordeaux, most of the group heads for the Cheval Blanc, Lafite, and Pétrus. But Vigil and a friend sniff out a bottle of 1984 La Tâche. After the rest of the team expresses little interest in it, they sneak out to the porch to finish off the stunning DRC relic.

Burgundy is increasingly a touchpoint for Catena Zapata—arguably “the most important winery in Argentina,” according to Wine Advocate. Laura Catena has discussed how the family’s search to make Malbec more transparent led them to adopt Burgundian practices like more punch-downs and whole-cluster fermentation.

That new approach has reached a spectacular climax with this 100-point benchmark—a wine of such mineral finesse and fine chalky tannins, it’s transportive to the rocky, limestone-rich heights of the Andes. At nearly 5,000 feet in elevation, the three-acre parcel for this wine sits nestled in an ancient riverbed whose terroir dates back millions of years, covered in distinctive oval white stones. Those white stones are key to this wine’s character, absorbing the heat, but also becoming cold as ice overnight, moderating the site during long, hot days.

With 100% whole bunch fermentation, and aging in a single 2,000-liter French oak foudre, here is purity, beauty, elegance—truly a word-class release.