Catena Alta Chardonnay

Catena Alta Chardonnay bottle image

Wine Description

In the mid-nineties, in an effort to produce a super-premium wine, the winemaking team of Catena began an in-depth investigation into the yields from specially selected, high altitude vineyards, identifying the individual rows that produce the best fruit. Catena Alta is an assemblage of these historic rows within the Catena family’s estate vineyards. The blend of these rows, like the blend of musical notes that compose a symphony, creates a wine that is layered and complex, concentrated yet nuanced. The Catena Alta Chardonnay is produced from two of the Catena family vineyards – the Adrianna Vineyard at almost 5,000 feet elevation and the Domingo Vineyard at 3,700 feet elevation. The Adrianna Vineyard's calcareous soils and cool climate are ideal for growing Chardonnay. The fruit from Adrianna has a purity of flavors and a minerality that is particular to this vineyard and cannot be found anywhere else in Mendoza. Nearby, the gravel-covered, loamy soils of the Domingo Vineyard produce grapes that contribute white peach and citrus notes to the wine. This Chardonnay is 100% barrel fermented in French oak with a little more than two-thirds of the wine undergoing malolactic fermentation.

Remington-Mendoza
Laura Catena sits at a table with a glass of wine
Malbec Grapes
Alejandro Vigil (Chief Winemaker) and Laura Catena Tasting
Malbec Clone in La Piramide Vineyard
Nicolás Catena
Bodega Catena Zapata
Bodega Catena Zapata
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Acclaim
This awesome wine is sourced from the Adrianna vineyard (80%) and the Domingo vineyard (20%) which are both extremely high elevation holdings which were planted in 1992. This dark hued Chardonnay has aromas of burnt cream, white rose, grilled pineapple and mango. This leads to dense flavors of tangerine, poached pear and Meyer lemon, with an extremely long, 45 second vanilla cream finish. The 'Alta' Chardonnay has an oily texture, as the wine glides through the mid-palate. This is drinking beautifully right now. I think this wine will cellar well into the next decade.
— International Wine Review, Aug 2016
“This un-fined and unfiltered Chard was aged 12-16 months in French oak and was sourced from the Arianna vineyard and the Domingo vineyard. Slightly more golden color than its regular bottling cousin, the 2013 Alta begins with aromas of nutmeg, brioche, mushroom and marzipan. There are flavors of crème brûlée, banana, and golden delicious apple, with a hint of lemon zest, as this is richer more tropical fruit filled than its cousin as well. The texture and viscosity are impressive.”
— International Wine Report, Oct 2015
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Vineyard & Production Info
Vineyard name
The Adrianna and Domingo vineyards
Vineyard size
296 acres
Soil composition
Sand
Training method
VSP
Elevation:
3,675-4,757 feet
Vines/acre:
2,200
Yield/acre:
1.2 tons
Exposure:
Northwestern
Year vineyard planted:
1992
Harvest time:
March-April
First vintage of this wine:
1995
Bottles produced of this wine:
28,000
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Winemaking & Aging
Varietal composition:
100% Chardonnay
Fermentation container:
Barriques and Barrels
Length of alcoholic fermentation:
50 days
Maceration technique:
Battonage
Malolactic fermentation:
Partial
Type of aging container:
Barriques
Size of aging container:
225 L
Type of oak:
French
Length of aging before bottling:
14 months
Age of Aging Container:
New-Two years
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Analytical Data
pH level:
3.2
Acidity:
7.5 g/L
Alcohol:
14 %
Residual sugar:
2.4 g/L