Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard estate spotlight
Laura Catena is on camera for Catena Malbec explaining why Adrianna became a benchmark for high-altitude research, the vineyard behind this River Stones Malbec.
The market on this bottle
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2022 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'River Stones' Malbec Gualtallary, Argentina
Adrianna's ancient riverbed Malbec, calcium-coated white stones at 4,482 feet, a 2022 you can open at one hundred fifty dollars.
The 2022 River Stones is 100 percent Malbec from a 2.6-hectare Adrianna parcel on an old riverbed: white flowers, cassis, blackberry, herbs, and chalk after 18 to 21 months in old French foudres, now $150.
River Stones is a place before it is a wine
The River parcel is 2.6 hectares of oval white stones coated in calcium carbonate, an ancient riverbed at 4,482 feet in Gualtallary. James Suckling gave the 2022 99 points. Wine Advocate 98-plus called it the most ethereal Malbec in the Catena roster. This is the bottle that argues for altitude and stones, not for varietal richness alone.
The house
Nicolas Catena planted Adrianna in 1992 when many thought Gualtallary was too high and too cold. Laura Catena's research program now studies the vineyard parcel by parcel.
The wine
100% Malbec. 60 to 80% whole cluster, wild yeast, 18 to 21 months in 2,200-liter French foudres more than ten years old. 13.6% ABV. 4,800 bottles.
The scores
James Suckling 99. Wine Advocate 98. Vinous 98. Wine Enthusiast 97, Cellar Selection, drink or hold through 2037.
The drinker
Decant generously. Serve 60 to 64 F. Grilled skirt steak with chimichurri, or rosemary-garlic lamb chops.
White flowers and cassis, then chalk
The 2022 is poised rather than heavy. Floral lift, bright dark fruit, herbal spice, and mineral tension over long, smooth tannins. Catena's own words: floral, exuberant, metallic.
Catena called 2022 exceptional: optimal acidity, ripe polyphenols, restrained alcohol, Uco Valley yields about 10 to 20 percent below normal after spring frost. A cooler autumn let the River parcel ripen slowly.
White flowers, cassis, blackberry, vivid plum, lavender, sage, arugula, black tea.
Full yet refined, 13.6% ABV, long smooth tannin, bright acidity, a chalky mineral spine.
Herbs, pepper, and a metallic stone close. Decant generously. Serve 60 to 64 F.
Old foudres frame the stones, not the oak
On the Catena sheet, the 2022 River sees a five- to ten-day cold soak below 50 F with 60 to 80 percent whole clusters, then wild-yeast fermentation for about 12 to 22 days. Elevage is 18 to 21 months in 2,200-liter French oak foudres more than ten years old. That is how Gualtallary florals and chalk stay in the glass instead of turning into new-oak toast.
4,800 bottles. 13.6% alcohol, 6.9 g/L acidity, pH 3.6. Alejandro Vigil leads the cellar with the Catena team.
Serve 60 to 64 F in a broad stem. Air is for white flowers and the stony close.
From one Malbec vineyard in 1902 to Adrianna at the edge of possibility
Four generations of Catena ambition culminate in a vineyard once considered too high and too cold for serious winegrowing.
Nicola Catena planted his first Malbec vineyard in Mendoza in 1902. Nicolas Catena planted Adrianna in Gualtallary in 1992. An early winter storm buried the young vines under snow. They endured.
Today Catena's research program studies Adrianna stone by stone, plant by plant, microbe by microbe. River is one small ancient riverbed translated into a wine with its own voice.
The 2022 is that parcel in 4,800 bottles: floral Malbec, mountain freshness, chalky structure, built to drink now or for decades.
Fire, herbs, and savory richness
Catena recommends grilled meats. Chimichurri and rosemary keep the chalky detail in front of the char.
Two plates. One Argentine skirt steak with chimichurri. One rosemary-garlic lamb chop. Both can take River Stones tannin.
Serve 60 to 64 F. Give the wine generous air in a broad decanter.
Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri
Charred beef gives this Malbec enough richness to lean against, while chimichurri adds herb and vinegar lift.
Why it works: Beef fat rounds the tannin. Smoke meets dark fruit. Parsley and garlic draw out the floral and herbal sides.
View Recipe for grilled skirt steak with chimichurri (opens in a new tab)
Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Chops
Lamb has the depth for River Stones without hiding its perfume. A hard sear adds char.
Why it works: Lamb softens the tannin line, rosemary echoes the herbal spice, and roasted garlic meets the stony finish.
View Recipe for rosemary-garlic lamb chops (opens in a new tab)Put River Stones in the cart
4,800 bottles. James Suckling 99. Ancient riverbed Malbec. One hundred fifty dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Catena bottle for a cellar that wants Gualtallary stones, not a generic Malbec slogan.
