2016 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec

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.

In one of the coldest vintages of the last 30 years in Mendoza, the Adrianna Vineyard plot (just 1.4 hectares) produced crisp, red fruit in 2016. With 100% whole-bunch fermentation, this feels lush, juicy and full. A mass of ripe fruits that fill the mouth with freshness and tension, marked by a penetrating and firm acidity.