Adrianna Vineyard

Adrianna Vineyard
LocationGualtallary Monasterio, Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina
AppellationMendoza wine
Founded1992
Key peopleNicolás Catena Zapata, Laura Catena, Adrianna Catena
Known forHigh Altitude Wine
VarietalsMalbec, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc
DistributionInternational

Adrianna Vineyard is a vineyard located in the Gualtallary district of Tupungato, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina.[1][2][3]

The vineyard is owned by Bodega Catena Zapata.[4] It sits at almost 5,000 feet (1,450 m) elevation, and is named after Nicolás Catena Zapata's youngest daughter, Adrianna.[5][1][6]

History

After an external evaluation compared one of his wines unfavorably to those of warmer, less distinguished wine regions, Nicolás Catena Zapata directed his team to search for the coldest viticultural site in Mendoza Province.[1][5] His team identified the upper part of Gualtallary, in a sector known as Monasterio, where no vineyards had previously been planted.[1] Despite warnings from experts that grapes would not ripen at that elevation, Catena planted the site in 1992.[1][7]

Terroir

Adrianna Vineyard lies at almost 5,000 feet (1,450 m) above sea level.[8] Higher elevation results in cooler temperatures and more intense solar radiation. Nicolás Catena Zapata had not initially expected the site to ripen grapes successfully.[5] Subsequent research by the Catena Institute of Wine, in collaboration with Argentina's National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET) and the Instituto de Biología Agrícola de Mendoza (IBAM), found that ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is greater at high elevation. [9][10][11] Increased UV-B exposure raises levels of protective pigments in the grape skin. Berry growth is reduced overall, but phenolic content—associated with color, concentration, and ripening—increases, which researchers have linked to improved wine quality.[2] Roy Urvieta, an enology specialist at the Catena Institute of Wine, has described the mechanism as follows: at higher altitude, the thinner atmosphere allows more UV-B light through, prompting the vines to produce more anthocyanins, antioxidants, polyphenols, and terpenes.[1][6]

The vineyard sits on an alluvial fan surrounded by hills and mountains, with soil depth varying according to patterns formed during the site's geological history.[1] The soil composition is predominantly sandy gravel, with some areas containing more than 50 percent surface stones; layers of limestone, deposited by the shifting paths of an ancient riverbed, occur throughout the vineyard, generally at a depth of 20 to 50 centimeters. The Catena Institute of Wine has mapped this variability using an extensive network of soil pits. The site was known internally as the "nightmare vineyard" in its early years, because the heterogeneity of its soils made vineyard management difficult; plots at the same latitude could ripen two to three weeks apart from one another.[1][12]

A study by researchers isolated plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) from grapevine roots and rhizosphere, finding that the bacteria helped vines retard water loss and induce defense-related compounds under stress conditions.[13]

A separate study by researchers at the Catena Institute of Wine examined two adjoining parcels of shallow and deep soil in a Malbec vineyard at Adrianna over multiple growing seasons.[14] Vines grown in shallow soil directed more resources toward root production, resulting in lower vigor and yields but a shorter ripening period; fine roots were concentrated in areas with higher proportions of clay, silt, and organic matter. Moderate water stress in shallow soils was associated with increased levels of anthocyanins, polyphenols, and antioxidant capacity in the grape skins, although greater water stress caused physiological harm.[14]

A follow-up study on the same shallow- and deep-soil parcels, co-published in 2024 by the Catena Institute of Wine and CONICET, examined fungal and prokaryotic diversity in the vineyard's soil.[15] The study found that soil stoniness significantly affected fungal community structure, with several fungal taxa more abundant in stony soil, while having a smaller effect on bacterial communities. Vintage was the most significant factor influencing both fungal and bacterial diversity, and calcium carbonate content specifically influenced the Proteobacteria phylum.[15]

The vineyard is divided into parcels vinified separately, including River Stones, White Stones, White Bones, Fortuna Terrae, and Mundus Bacillus Terrae.[1] It is planted with Malbec, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Franc.[1][12] The White Bones and White Stones Chardonnay parcels lie approximately 50 meters (160 ft) apart but differ in soil water retention and sun exposure; according to vineyard manager Luis Reginato, the soil in White Bones retains more water and nutrients, producing greater vigor, a larger canopy, and more herbal aromas in the resulting wine, while White Stones receives more direct sunlight on the fruit, ripens earlier, and yields a wine with greater volume in the mouth.[1][16]

Wines

Writing in Vinous, critic Joaquín Hidalgo stated that Adrianna's two Gualtallary Chardonnays, White Stones and White Bones—made by Catena Zapata winemaking director Alejandro Vigil since 2007—have been part of Argentina's white wine development since 2009.[17] Hidalgo noted that high-elevation Uco Valley sites such as Gualtallary, with their gravel, sand, and calcareous soils, impart aromas of native herbs including jarilla, heterotheca, and huacatay to the Chardonnay, which he described as an unusual characteristic for the variety.[17]

Writing for the Financial Times, wine critic Jancis Robinson named the 2016 Adrianna Vineyard Fortuna Terrae among Argentine Malbecs she associated with a "new-wave" style, and described Gualtallary as having an established reputation for wines she called "particularly nervy, finely chiselled," despite the area's lack of official appellation status.[18][19]

Eric Asimov of The New York Times wrote that wines from Mendoza's cooler, high-altitude sites, including Adrianna, display a minerality less common in wines from the region's traditional lower-altitude vineyards.[20]

In July 2018, critic Luis Gutiérrez of The Wine Advocate scored the 2016 River Stones Malbec at 100 points, which the publication had not previously given to an Argentine wine.[21][22]Critic James Suckling separately scored the 2018 vintages of the White Bones Chardonnay and the River Stones Malbec at 100 points each.[23][24][25]

Wine Enthusiast critic Jesica Vargas scored the 2021 White Stones at 95 points and included it in the publication's Cellar Selection, noting acidity and aromas of celery, dried lemon, and light oak spice, with notes of green apple, lime, ginger, and mint.[26] In January 2026, David Williams, wine critic for The Observer, wrote that the 2022 White Stones was "as good as any [chardonnay] in the world."[27][28][29]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Miller, Caitlin A. (4 June 2026). "How Adrianna Vineyard Became the Grand Cru of South America". SevenFifty Daily. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  2. 1 2 Goode, Jamie. "Visiting Mendoza, Argentina. Part 1: a question of altitude". Wine Anorak. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Adrianna: The Catena Zapata Vineyard That Changed Argentine Wine". The Huffington Post. 27 August 2015. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  4. ↑ Goode, Jamie (2015). Catena Institute of Wine: The Science of Argentine Wine. p. 31. ISBN 978-1-320-51522-1.
  5. 1 2 3 Rosenheck, Dan (December 2016). "High hopes in the Andes". The Economist 1843. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  6. 1 2 Catena, Laura (2010). Vino argentino: An Insider's Guide to the Wines and Wine Country of Argentina. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-0-8118-7330-7. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  7. ↑ International Wine Cellar, Stephen Tanzer Wine Mdq, March 2014
  8. ↑ "Press Kit: Adrianna Vineyard" (PDF). Catena Zapata. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  9. ↑ Laura Catena: the quest to find Argentina’s winemaking potential, The Buyer April 24, 2017.
  10. ↑ Alonso, Rodrigo; Berli, Federico J.; Fontana, Ariel; Piccoli, Patricia; Bottini, Rubén (December 2016). "Malbec grape (Vitis vinifera L.) responses to the environment: Berry phenolics as influenced by solar UV-B, water deficit and sprayed abscisic acid". Plant Physiology and Biochemistry. 109: 84–90. doi:10.1016/j.plaphy.2016.09.007. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  11. ↑ Berli, Federico; D'Angelo, José; Cavagnaro, Bruno; Bottini, Rubén; Wuilloud, Rodolfo; Silva, M. Fernanda (14 May 2008). "Phenolic composition in grape (Vitis vinifera L. cv. Malbec) ripened with different solar UV-B radiation levels by capillary zone electrophoresis". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 56 (9): 2892–2898. doi:10.1021/jf073421+. PMID 18412357. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  12. 1 2 Siddle, Richard (27 January 2025). "How Argentina's 'mountain wines' are taking it to new heights". The Buyer. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  13. ↑ Salomon, María Victoria; Bottini, Rubén; de Souza Filho, Gonçalo Apolinário; Cohen, Ana Carmen; Moreno, Daniela; Gil, Mariana; Piccoli, Patricia (2014). "Bacteria isolated from roots and rhizosphere of Vitis vinifera retard water losses, induce abscisic acid accumulation and synthesis of defense-related terpenes in in vitro cultured grapevine". Physiologia Plantarum. 151 (4): 359–374. doi:10.1111/ppl.12117. PMID 24118032. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  14. 1 2 Mezzatesta, Daniela S.; Berli, Federico J.; Arancibia, Celeste; Buscema, Fernando G.; Piccoli, Patricia N. (30 May 2022). "Impact of contrasting soils in a high-altitude vineyard of Vitis vinifera L. cv. Malbec: root morphology and distribution, vegetative and reproductive expressions, and berry skin phenolics". OENO One. 56 (2). International Viticulture and Enology Society. doi:10.20870/oeno-one.2022.56.2.4917. hdl:11336/161713. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  15. 1 2 Mezzatesta, Daniela; Oyuela Aguilar, Mónica; Gobbi, Alex; Pistorio, Mariano; Hestbjerg Hansen, Lars; Buscema, Fernando; Piccoli, Patricia; Berli, Federico (20 November 2024). "Soil-associated fungal and prokaryotic diversity influenced by stoniness, depth and vintage in a high-altitude vineyard". OENO One. 58 (4). International Viticulture and Enology Society. doi:10.20870/oeno-one.2024.58.4.8280. hdl:11336/263831. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  16. ↑ Goode, Jamie. "White Stones and White Bones: terroir-based Chardonnays from Catena". Wine Anorak. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  17. 1 2 Hidalgo, Joaquín (9 June 2026). "The Path to Purity: New White Releases from Argentina". Vinous. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  18. ↑ Robinson, Jancis (7 March 2020). "The Argentine wine revolution". JancisRobinson.com. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  19. ↑ Argentina gets more polish, Jancis Robinson, Octubre, 2008
  20. ↑ Asimov, Eric (11 February 2016). "To Move Beyond Malbec, Look Below the Surface". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  21. ↑ Ríos, Sebastián A. (7 July 2018). "Así se hicieron los dos vinos argentinos de puntaje "perfecto"". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  22. ↑ Two Wines from Catena’s Adrianna Vineyard are First South American Wines Awarded 100 Points from Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate PR Web, July 2018
  23. ↑ "Argentina Breaks Free: The Greatest Wines Ever". JamesSuckling.com. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  24. ↑ Ríos, Sebastián (28 August 2015). "Los vinos argentinos mejor puntuados en Robert Parker.com". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  25. ↑ International Wine Cellar, Stephen Tanzer Archived 2016-04-02 at the Wayback Machine Wine Access, March 2013
  26. ↑ Vargas, Jesica (2025). "South American Wines Have Never Been This Exciting". Wine Enthusiast. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  27. ↑ Williams, David (1 January 2026). "Dry, or slightly damp January?". The Observer. Retrieved 12 August 2026.
  28. ↑ Wine trials: The Most In-depth Study of Cultivars Ever Attempted. The Future of Wine Science., "Wine Business Monthly, by Lance Cutler", November, 2015.
  29. ↑ Saving Malbec, Saveur Magazine, December, 2015.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.