2020 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae
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Tasting notes
Always a pleasure to taste this wine, from 1.4ha of limestone soils at 1,390m elevation, and once again it delivers at the top of its category. It has a reticence at first, with an austere opening that punches through to fragrant dried and freshly cut sage and fennel herbs, rich with incense, black tea, crushed flowers, blackcurrant, cassis and raspberry fruits, spiced pear, chalk, graphite, white truffle. It's hard to stop when it comes to naming the flavours, so drawn out and precisely crafted is the construction. 475 cases from winemaker Alejandro Vigil, Fermentation in concrete with 50% whole cluster, followed by ageing in 75% French oak barrels, 25% in large oak casks.
Critic scores
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Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate
Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Tasting the 2020 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae next to the 2019 showed a different aromatic profile of darker fruit, denoting ripeness and sun. The wine was still very young with a luxurious, creamy texture and mouthfeel. 2020 was an extremely dry year (70% lower than the average with just 282 liters!), and the grapes were picked two to three weeks earlier. It has a bright, saturated color and a heady nose with ripe berries and a spicy, smoky twist from 19 months in oak vats. It's medium to full bodied, with a soft texture and velvety tannins, sleek and seamless. 5,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in November 2021.
The 2020 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae hails from a small parcel of a vineyard in Gualtallary, Uco Valley and was barrel-aged for 18 months. Dark purple in the glass. The expressive, layered nose delivers notes of blackberry, plum, lavender and violet with a pinch of herbs. Intense and concentrated but agile in feel, the palate is taut, while the fine-grained, chalky tannins are enlivened by the acidity, which teases out the lovely ripe flavors toward the end. This is a substantial but juicy red, everything you’d want from a high altitude wine.
Fascinating nose of blue flowers, blueberries, sea shells, moss and lemon grass. It’s medium-bodied with ultra-fine, silky tannins. So fresh and elegant with bright, saline character. Still a little reserved. Try after 2024.
About the producer
Bodega Catena Zapata has been instrumental both in the development of fine wine production in Argentina and in realising the full potential of the Malbec grape.