2019 Catena Mundus Bacillus Terrae Adrianna Vineyard

The sleek and elegant 2019 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae is now certified organic (since 2018) and comes from vines planted in 1992 at 1,390 meters above sea level in Gualtallary on alluvial limestone soils. Seventy-five percent of the volume fermented in concrete vats with 50% full clusters, and the remaining 25% fermented in oak foudres. But instead of fermenting the grapes, they only fermented the juice (as it's usually done for white wines), to give the wine more elegance and lightness. I was listening to a record from a new band, Generation Radio, with musicians from Journey and Chicago, and the music had a similar profile to the wine: sleek, elegant, polished, nicely crafted, clean and harmonious, easy to listen to (and drink to) with a soft side to it. The wine has ripeness (14% alcohol) but also high acidity from the high-altitude vineyards, which makes it very lively, beautifully textured, balanced and elegant. Beautiful. 5,400 bottles were filled in November 2020.

Harvested up to three weeks early. 100% Malbec from a 1.4-ha plot . Purple-blue in colour. A touch volatile in aromas with hints of boot polish and balsamic vinegar. These notes give way to dark plums and cherries in time. Sweet and polished fruit dominates the palate, with pastille-like blackcurrant and blackberry at the core. Structurally impressive with fresh acidity and polished sweetness, the nature of the fruit at the moment tempers my score. (TP)

Silky tannins, plush fruit, spicy aromas. Lots of body and weight here, yet there is elegance thanks to integrated acidity. Dense fruit without much complexity yet. (RH)