Fortuna Terrae Malbec, Adrianna Vineyard 2016

Bright saturated ruby. Pungent, deep aromas of black cherry, raspberry, violet and licorice, plus a wild whiff of gamey reduction. Wonderfully smooth and stylish on the palate, with intense black fruit, crushed stone and violet flavors accented by spices. Hints of cocoa powder and dark chocolate emerge with air but this perfectly balanced Malbec maintains its suave texture and light touch. Finishes with outstanding slowly building length. With its uncommon refinement and equilibrium, this wine could be enjoyed today with great pleasure, but it would be a shame not to give it some more time in the cellar. Catena normally carries out three harvests for this wine but did just one in 2016, noted Vigil, who told me he eliminated the first pick owing to its very high acidity in this cool growing season. Winemaker Vigil noted that the soil in Adrianna Vineyard's Lot 6 is deep loam with some calcaire, while the Lot 3 vines that go into the Mundus Bacillus Terrae bottling are on shallower soil with a more important chalky element.

Score: 96

Stephen Tanzer, Vinous.com Maturity: 2020-2029 01 September 2019