Adrianna White Stones Chardonnay
⏳ wine.drinking_window
Typically best enjoyed 5–15 years from vintage release.
🍽️ wine.food_pairings
Roasted chicken, creamy mushroom risotto, grilled lobster
✨ wine.spec_sheet
Born from the legendary Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary, situated at an extreme altitude of nearly 1,450 meters in the Uco Valley, the 'White Stones' Chardonnay is a masterclass in high-altitude viticulture. The wine takes its name from a select parcel of an ancient, dry riverbed covered with oval, white stones heavily coated in calcium carbonate. This unique soil composition, combined with the intense mountain sunlight and cool alpine nights, forces the vines to struggle, resulting in a Chardonnay of remarkable mineral tension, vibrant acidity, and crystalline purity. Fermented with wild yeasts in French oak, it represents a revolutionary shift in South American white winemaking, drawing frequent comparisons to the finest Burgundy crus while maintaining a distinct, mineral-driven Andean identity.
🍾 wine.about_producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, the historic Catena Zapata estate is located in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, Argentina, and remains family-owned under the visionary leadership of Nicolás Catena Zapata and his daughter Laura. Renowned for pioneering high-altitude viticulture in the Andean foothills, the winery revolutionized Argentine winemaking by proving that world-class, age-worthy wines could be produced from extreme mountain terroirs. Their production philosophy focuses on meticulous parcel selection and soil-specific micro-vinifications, particularly within the acclaimed Adrianna Vineyard. Catena Zapata is celebrated globally for its profound, structured red wines, most notably its flagship Bordeaux-style blend, Nicolás Catena Zapata, and the highly expressive, mineral-driven Adrianna Vineyard River Stones Malbec.