White Clay
⏳ Drinking Window
Typically best enjoyed within 1 to 5 years of vintage release, though it can cellar gracefully for up to 8 years, developing complex waxy and honeyed characteristics.
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled sea bass, roasted chicken with herbs, goat cheese salad
✨ Technical Specifications
Catena Zapata's 'White Clay' is a compelling tribute to the historic white winemaking traditions of Mendoza, resurrecting a classic blend of Semillon and Chenin Blanc. The wine takes its name from the distinct, deep white clay soils of the estate's vineyards in Luján de Cuyo. Historically, Semillon and Chenin Blanc were widely planted in Argentina during the mid-20th century before being largely overshadowed by Chardonnay. By sourcing grapes from high-altitude vines rooted in these mineral-rich clay deposits, Catena Zapata crafts a white wine of remarkable texture, tension, and aromatic complexity. The clay soils help retain coolness in the warm Mendoza sun, imparting a signature mineral backbone and a rich, round mouthfeel that is beautifully balanced by the natural, vibrant acidity of the Chen is Blanc.
🍾 About the Producer
Founded in 1902 by Italian immigrant Nicola Catena, Bodega Catena Zapata is the preeminent pioneer of modern Argentine viticulture. In the 1980s and 1990s, third-generation visionary Nicolás Catena Zapata revolutionized the domestic industry by venturing into extreme high-altitude Andean terroirs, most notably planting the famed Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary at nearly 1,500 meters above sea level. Today directed by Dr. Laura Catena and celebrated winemaking director Alejandro Vigil, the estate pairs rigorous micro-terroir research through the Catena Institute of Wine with precision viticulture across alluvial, limestone-laced gravel soils. Fermentations frequently incorporate whole clusters and indigenous yeasts, vinified in concrete, oak foudres, and French barriques to preserve freshness, structural nuance, and site-specific tension. Benchmark bottlings such as the flagship Nicolás Catena Zapata, Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae Malbec, and Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Chardonnay stand as global archetypes of high-elevation South American fine wine.
🍇 Grapes
Semillon 60%, Chenin Blanc 40%
🍷 ABV
12.5-13%