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
accordion plus icons
Acclaim
“Rich vanilla nose; fresh, silky, and bright with racy style, crisp acidity, and smooth, balanced fruit.”
— The Tasting Panel, Dec 2018
“This deep and layered white shows sliced apple, cream and stone flavors. Full body. Dense yet fresh. Long and flavorful. Drink now.”
— James Suckling, Jun 2017
View more acclaim Arrow Right
accordion plus icons
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
accordion plus icons
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
accordion plus icons
Analytical Data
No relevant data were found.