Catena Chardonnay

Catena Chardonnay bottle image

Wine Description

For over four generations, the Catena family has grown vines in the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Mendoza, Argentina. Laura Catena, great-granddaughter of winery founder Nicola Catena, has created a richly textured Chardonnay blend with floral notes, ripe tropical-fruit flavors, a strong mineral character and excellent acidity. Catena Chardonnay is sourced from three of the family´s vineyards in Luján de Cuyo and Tupungato. In Agrelo, in Luján de Cuyo, the La Pirámide Vineyard grapes lend the wine ripe citrus and stone fruit aromas and flavors. Fruit from the Domingo Vineyard in the Villa Bastías district of Tupungato emphasizes those stone fruit flavors and gives the wine its rich texture and mouthfeel. The high-altitude Adrianna Vineyard in the Gualtallary district of Tupungato produces grapes with lively floral notes, a pronounced minerality, and a crisp, cool-climate acidity. From the marriage of these historic parcels emerges a wine of a unique character that has natural balance, concentration, and a distinct varietal identity.

Remington-Mendoza
Laura Catena sits at a table with a glass of wine
Malbec Grapes
Alejandro Vigil (Chief Winemaker) and Laura Catena Tasting
Malbec Clone in La Piramide Vineyard
Nicolás Catena
Bodega Catena Zapata
Bodega Catena Zapata
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Acclaim
“The balsamic and showy 2015 Chardonnay is a blend of three vineyards, one small plot from Agrelo (less than 10% of the volume, as it's no more than four hectares), another one from Villa Bastías from the Tupungato department and a third one in Gualtallary, also in Tupungato in the Valle de Uco. Vinified, aged separately and blended before bottling, 15% of the volume goes through malolactic in oak barrels where it also matured for one year while the rest was kept in stainless steel. It has a mixture of yellow fruit and subtle oak keeping a core of white fruit and flowers. This follows the style of the 2014--medium-bodied with some chalky tannins that provide a chalky texture and a supple finish.”
— Luis Gutierrez, Dec 2016
Sourced from the provinces of Luján de Cuyo (La Pirámide Vineyard) and Tupungato (Domingo Vineyard), the 2015 Catena Chardonnay is a great value release from this estate. This Chardonnay opens with aromatics of mushroom, heavy whipping cream, Pazzaz Apple and vanilla custard. There are bright flavors of mango, Gravenstein apple, starfruit and hints of lychee. The Chardonnay has nice mouthfeel and intensity as this excellent wine would pair beautifully with salmon with mango salsa.
— International Wine Review, Aug 2016
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
The Domingo, La Pirámide, and Adrianna vineyards
Soil composition
Gravel and Stony
Training method
VSP
Elevation:
3,117-4,757 feet
Vines/acre:
2,200
Yield/acre:
2.5-3 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Harvest time:
March-April
First vintage of this wine:
1991
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Chardonnay
Fermentation container:
Barrels and Stainless steel tanks
Maceration technique:
Battonage
Malolactic fermentation:
Partial
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225 L
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
10 months
Age of Aging Container:
New-Two years
Length of bottle aging:
12 months
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Analytical Data
No relevant data were found.