2014 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae
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Tasting notes
The flagship is the 2014 Malbec Mundus Bacillus Terrae Adrianna Vineyard, which sees a long cold soak and a relatively short maceration followed by two years in a mix of different barrels. Cut from the same cloth as the Fortuna Terrae, yet with another level of elegance, its deep purple color is followed by a fabulous bouquet of blueberries, damp river rocks, violets, white truffle, and forest floor. This is followed by a medium to full-bodied, elegant, beautifully balanced Malbec that has terrific purity, a seamless texture, and beautiful length on the finish. It’s pure class and will keep for 15-20 years or more.
Critic scores
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Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
Jeb Dunnuck
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I tasted three consecutive vintages of the reds from Adrianna Vineyard, including the luxury cuvée, starting with the 2014 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae. It is from the coolest year since 2001 (but cooler will come in 2016), and it has 13.5% alcohol and very high acidity—7.5 grams measured in tartaric acid. What that all means is it's moderately ripe and very fresh, with integrated oak after fermenting in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels and an élevage of 24 months in oak. 4,200 bottles were filled in July 2016.
Full bright ruby. Aromas of boysenberry, bitter chocolate and violet. Densely packed yet penetrating and sharply delineated; wonderfully pure and light on its feet but uncompromisingly dry and unevolved. This powerful, savory wine reverberates on the finish but it demands time in bottle to absorb some of its almost painful acidity. Incidentally, winemaker Alejandro Vigil vinifies whole clusters for these special single-parcel wines, beginning with some carbonic maceration. They are all remarkably glyceral considering their high acidity levels: Vigil noted that they carry extremely high levels of dry extract, between 35 and 37 grams per liter.
About the producer
Bodega Catena Zapata has been instrumental both in the development of fine wine production in Argentina and in realising the full potential of the Malbec grape.