Our #1 Bestselling Napa Cab 6pk Shop Napa Cabs
2022 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'River Stones' Malbec Gualtallary 3pk 3x750ml

A single-parcel, high-altitude Malbec from one of the world's most celebrated vineyards.

Medal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphic

2022 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'River Stones' Malbec Gualtallary 3pk 3x750ml

A single-parcel, high-altitude Malbec from one of the world's most celebrated vineyards.

Retail $750
$717
$239 / bottle when you buy the 3-pack
You save $33
  • From the "Grand Cru of South America"
  • "Seamless, Taut And Long" ~ 99 James Suckling
  • Single-parcel Malbec from a Legendary Vineyard
  • "Very Seductive, Making It Quite Intriguing" ~ 98 Vinous Media
  • Crafted by Argentina's Most Awarded Family
Find out more
In Stock
FREE Ground shipping over 12+ Bottles
Satisfaction guaranteed Love every bottle or we make it right
Image of 2022 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'River Stones' Malbec Gualtallary 3pk 3x750ml 2022 Catena Zapata Adrianna Vineyard 'River Stones' Malbec Gualtallary 3pk 3x750ml
$750
$717
$239 / bottle when you buy the 3-pack
You save $33

About The Wine

For four generations, the Catena family has farmed vines in the Andean foothills of Mendoza, and few names have done more to define Argentine fine wine.

Third-generation vintner Nicolás Catena Zapata was among the first to recognize the potential of Mendoza's high-altitude mountain sites, and in 1994 he became the first Argentine to export a world-class Malbec under the Catena label. Today his daughter, Dr. Laura Catena, leads the house alongside head winemaker Alejandro Vigil, continuing the family's relentless research into soil, climate, and clonal selection — work that has made Catena Zapata Argentina's most awarded wine family.

The heart of that legacy is the Adrianna Vineyard, planted by Nicolás in the cool, stony reaches of Gualtallary with a single ambition: to find the coolest, highest place in Mendoza where great wine could be born. Often called the "Grand Cru of South America," it was named the #1 vineyard in Argentina and #9 in the world.

This River bottling is a single-parcel vino de parcela drawn from a 2.6-hectare plot of the Adrianna Vineyard at roughly 1,366m elevation, blanketed in oval white stones over an ancient riverbed and laced with calcium carbonate.

Those stones drain freely and moderate temperature swings, yielding the most ethereal, lifted, and mineral-driven of Adrianna's three Malbecs.

Made from 100% Malbec with extended cold maceration and significant whole-cluster fermentation, then aged 18–21 months in seasoned French oak foudres, it is a wine built equally for early pleasure and decades in the cellar.

Find out more

At A Glance

Varietal:
Malbec
Region:
Uco Valley
Sub-Appellation:
Gualtallary
Alcohol:
13.8%
Size:
750ml

TASTING NOTES

What's in the Glass

PAIRS WITH
Steak · Beef · Barbecue · Ribeye · Grilled Meat

Mouthfeel & Acidity

Light Body Full Body
 
 
 
 
 
Low Acidity High Acidity
 
 
 
 
 
Soft Tannins Firm Tannins
Dry Sweet

Eye: Deep, near-opaque carmine to purple with a bright sheen.

Nose: Lifted and floral — dried violets, blackberry and ripe plum over crushed river stone, with sage, arugula, lavender, black tea, and a touch of white pepper.

Palate: Taut and mineral-etched, with fine chalky tannins and electric acidity framing blackberry and cherry; ethereal and almost Pinot-like in its lift, finishing long and unwaveringly focused.

Drinking Window: 2026–2037+

CRITIC REVIEWS

What the Critics Said

Probably the most austere among the three Adrianna Vineyard malbecs. Arresting nose already, with a touch of white pepper to the deep black and blue fruit. Huge depth and profoundness, but at the same time it is so fresh. Seamless, taut and long. ~99 James Suckling

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. 98 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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. ~98 Vinous Media

This elegant and expressive Malbec captivates with its refined structure. Grapes from the winery's Adrianna vineyard in the Uco Valley contribute to a wine with a delicate nose of herbs, cassis and spices. There is tension on the palate, where silky tannins and invigorating acidity frame vibrant layers of meaty plums, blackberries and herbal notes. Drink or hold through 2037. ~ 97 Wine Enthusiast

A touch restrained, but with talc, mountain herb and brambly berry details to the fresh and lively core, with a mineral coating to the red currant, Rainer cherry and raspberry flavors that lengthen around the well-spiced finish and structured tannins. Best from 2026 through 2040. ~ 93 Wine Spectator

THE PRODUCER

Catena

Laura Catena was born in Mendoza, Argentina in 1967. She graduated magna cum laude in Biology from Harvard University in 1988. She has a Medical Doctor degree from Stanford University. She is managing director of Bodega Catena Zapata and Luca Winery in Mendoza, Argentina. She is a practicing Pediatric Medicine physician at University of California San Francisco Medical Center. Nicolas Catena Zapata has been widely credited for elevating the status of Argentine Malbec and the Mendoza region through serious experimentation into the effects of high altitude. In 1994, he was the first to plant a Malbec vineyard at almost 1,500 m (5,000 ft) elevation in the Gualtallary sub-district of Tupungato, the Adrianna Vineyard. He developed a clonal selection of Argentine Malbec. The Catena family has been making wine in the acclaimed Mendoza region since 1902.

Catena

Related categories

Explore Big Hammer Wines

THE BHW WINE CLUBS

Most people never get access to someone who actually knows wine.

5,000+
wines tasted yearly
25 years
inside the global trade
4%
make the cut
1 of 415
Italian Wine Ambassadors worldwide
Wine pack

Founder Wine Club

  • 12 bottles per quarter, personally selected
  • Quarterly tasting notes
  • Member pricing on all single bottles
  • Priority allocation on limited releases
  • Access to the BHW member newsletter
$417 / month
You receive $500+ in wine value monthly
Join the Founder's Club
$4,999 billed once • 12-month membership • Shipping included
Wine pack

President’s Wine Club

  • Everything in Founder's Club, plus:
  • Private quarterly tasting call with Greg
  • Access to pre-release allocations
  • Comparable market value exceeding $12,000 annually
$833 / month
You receive $1000+ in wine value monthly
Join the President's Club
$9,995 billed once • 12-month membership • Shipping included
Medal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphicMedal graphic