2013 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Chardonnay

Subtle citrus nose with some buttery, creamy notes. Vibrant, delicate Chardonnay with green apple, white peach and quince jelly aromas and a pure expression of minerals evocative of wet river stones. Beautiful wine, with a fantastic complexity and a long finish.

The aromas to this are very impressive with a dried fruits, stone and tangy lemon rind character. Hints of caramel too. Full body, layered and long. Made from grapes grown in Gualtallary in Uco. Drink or hold.

"The 2013 White Stones Chardonnay had penetrating balsamic aromas that seemed to enter the nostrils leaving a trail of citric and herbal aromas, with great freshness, as it felt almost effervescent. The palate shows superb acidity, great clarity, purity and a mineral-driven finish. 1,600 bottles produced.

Picked in four stages for different fruit profiles, this high altitude Chardonnay from the Adrianna Vineyard comes, as its name suggests, from limestone-dominated soils. Taut, concentrated and sappy, with pronounced citrus fruit flavours, subtle vanilla spice and a core of minerally acidity. 2016-22.

Full straw-yellow. Lovely high-pitched aromas of orange zest, sea salt, lavender, brown spices and pungent minerality, plus an exotic whiff of molasses. Distinctly angular in the early going, combining penetrating crushed- stone minerality with powerful acidity (only 20% of this wine went through malolactic fermentation). The piquant citrus peel and oyster shell flavors demand bivalves. This distinctly edgy, phenolic wine finishes with superb breadth but is nowhere near ready to drink. Will it eventually absorb its acidity? I wonder whether this wine would have been better-balanced with a bit more malolactic transformation.