2018 Catena Zapata Adrianna White Stones Chardonnay Magnum 1.5L, Mendoza

A very subtle yet intense White Stones on the nose with stone, bone, lemon-rind and dried-apple aromas that follow through to a full body that is very tight and closed, but shows a compact fruit structure of sliced mangoes and cooked apples. Vivid finish, turning to flamboyant minerality. In reserve still. Better in 2022.

98 points James Suckling jamessuckling.com Feb 2020
 
The outstanding 2018 White Stones Chardonnay epitomizes the expression of the grape in the cooler-climate and high-altitude location of the Adrianna vineyard in Gualtallary. There is rectitude, austerity and elegance, a subtle wine with great clout and intensity that comes through as chiseled, focused, symmetric and pure, more in the style of Roulot than Coche-Dury, with superb integration of all the elements and fine minerality. This is more about the place and vintage than the grape, which feels like a good way to transmit the chalky soils of the selected plots. Simply superb, possibly the finest vintage for this bottling so far. 6,600 bottles were filled in May 2019.

98+ points Luis Gutierrez robertparker.com Nov 2019 Drink 2019-2032

From one of the highest and most dramatic Chardonnay sites in the world, this wine channels a distinctly Burgundian sensibility through the lens of extreme Argentine terroir. The Adrianna Vineyard in Gualtallary sits over 1,400 metres above sea level, where cool temperatures, intense sunlight and ancient limestone soils create conditions for Chardonnay of remarkable tension, purity and mineral drive. White Stones is sourced from parcels rich in calcium carbonate, giving the wine its signature chalky texture and saline edge. This bottling has become a global reference point for high altitude Chardonnay, consistently lauded by critics for its precision, complexity and Grand Cru like character.

Pale gold in colour, the aromas are refined and layered, showing lemon zest, white peach and green apple, followed by subtle flint, crushed chalk, almond meal and delicate floral notes. The palate is tightly coiled and energetic, with citrus and stone fruit carried by a fine, chalky texture and a long, racy acid line. There is a Burgundian sense of restraint and structure, with oak beautifully integrated and never dominant. The finish is long, saline and mineral, leaving a lasting impression of purity and finesse.

Outstanding with lobster, scallops, roast chicken, creamy poultry dishes or fine seafood, and built to cellar for ten to fifteen years, where it will gain further nutty, savoury and tertiary complexity. A modern classic that continues to redefine what Chardonnay can achieve at altitude.