2022 Catena Zapata Adrianna River Stones Malbec, Mendoza

The 2022 Malbec Adrianna Vineyard River was aged for up to 21 months in French oak barrels. This was sourced from a terroir-driven plot, planted in 1992 in Gualtallary, Tupungato, on an old riverbed. The aromas reveal blackberry and ripe plum, with hints of grass, cherry, arugula, lavender and sage, complemented by black tea and herbal tension. This raw Malbec features chalky intensity and a fine, compact expression. It is well defined and exhibits a reductive character, making it quite intriguing. This very seductive and long-lasting high-elevation Malbec evokes the elegance of a Pinot Noir. Drink 2025-2042.

98 points Joaquín Hidalgo Vinous, November 2024

The 2022 Adrianna Vineyard Malbec River squarely occupies the most ethereal, lifted and weightless expression of Malbec in the Catena Zapata roster. It opens with a floral, lively and open-knit bouquet that hints at the stony, mineral-tinged tension to follow on the palate. In the mouth, it displays a taut, spry and gently succulent texture that is deceptively rich and powerful despite its nimble nature, releasing into a persistent, long and unwaveringly focused finish. This is a perfect counterpoint to the more robust Malbec Mundus Bacillus Terrae bottling and will appeal to readers seeking nuance and minerality above all else. Drink 2025-2042.

98 points Matthew Luczy Wine Advocate, May 2025

Floral aromas of violets and tense blue fruit. The palate is medium- to full-bodied with so much tension, delicate fruit and extreme, focused tannins that are balanced and precise. There’s a tremendously delicate balance between focused tannins, tight blue fruit and bright acidity. This comes from a 2.6-hectare plot with alluvial stones covered in calcium carbonate. Drink now or hold.

98 points jamessuckling.com

From one of the highest and most revered vineyard sites in South America comes a Malbec that has become a global benchmark. The Adrianna Vineyard, planted in the early 1990s by the Catena family in Gualtallary (Tupungato Alto), sits at the foot of the Andes where intense sunlight, cold nights and calcareous soils shape wines of extraordinary precision. The River Stones parcel is at an elevation 1366m, and of takes its name from the calcium carbonate covered oval white stones that completely cover this small part of the Adrianna.

In the glass the 2022 vintage shows a deep violet core with inky purple edges, hinting at concentration and youth. The aromatics are complex and layered, revealing black cherry, blackberry and wild blueberry intertwined with violet, graphite and subtle spice. There is a striking mineral character, almost chalky and stony, that reflects the vineyard’s calcareous soils and high altitude intensity.

On the palate it is full bodied yet remarkably refined. Dark berry fruit forms the core, supported by firm, finely grained tannins and vibrant acidity that provide balance and length. Notes of cocoa, crushed stone and gentle oak weave seamlessly through the mid palate, leading to a long, structured finish marked by depth and mineral tension. Despite its power, the wine remains poised and precise, a hallmark of Adrianna Vineyard.

Pair with grilled ribeye, slow braised short ribs, lamb with rosemary or aged hard cheeses. While compelling in its youth with careful decanting, this high altitude Malbec will cellar confidently for twenty years or more, developing layered notes of tobacco, earth and savoury complexity.