Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Bones
Wine Description
White Bones Chardonnay comes from select rows within Block 1 of the Adrianna Vineyard. The wine is fermented and aged in French oak barrels with about two-thirds undergoing malolactic fermentation. The name refers to the soil underneath these rows, which is layered with calcareous deposits and limestone as well as fossilized bones – the remnants of a river that used to pass through the region.
Acclaim
Vineyard & Production Info
Winemaking & Aging
Analytical Data
Wine Production
Cold settling for 12 hours in stainless steel tanks at 6ºC. Fermentation in French oak barrels for 45 - 95 days at 16°C. Battonage. Partial malolactic fermentation. Aged for 12-16 months in 2nd, 3d and 4th use French oak barrels.
About the Vineyard
"White Bones" makes reference to a spot of vines planted over a patch of gravel on the topsoil, and thick layers of calcareous deposits and limestone in the subsoil. Fossilized animal bones can be found among this layers. These are remains of animals and fish that lived in stream bed area. There are many theories about why the grapes coming from these rows have such distinctive floral aromatics with an earthy minerality in the nose and palate. It may be related to the minerals in the soil or to the effects that the calcareous deposits have on root penetration. At this extreme high altitude, the nights are cool, only a few degrees above freezing even in the summer. The night-day temperature difference is between 15 and 20 degrees and the sunlight is more intense because of the altitude.