Catena Zapata Mundus Bacillus Terrae 2018

Fermentation: 75% of the beginning of fermentation in Concrete (50% whole cluster) and 25% of the completion of fermentation in Oak Foudre (just juice).
Max. Fermentation Temperature: 25-30° C, 8-13 days maceration
Aging: 18 months in barrel, oak treatment is decided according to the vintage characteristics. French Oak
Varietal: 100% Malbec
Alcohol: 13.7%

Produced by Catena Zapata

Located in the sub-appellation region of Argentina, Bodega Catena Zapata is a beautiful winery. It is a family-owned winery that was first established in 1902 by the Italian Nicolas Catena. A distinguishing feature of this winery is its pyramid-like design. Catena set up this winery with the prime objective of introducing the European style of winemaking in Argentina.

Learn more about Catena Zapata

Tasting Notes

The 2018 Adrianna Vineyard Mundus Bacillus Terrae started with a marked creamy and lactic note, reflecting a very young and tender wine that started with a lot of malic acid. It has lower alcohol and higher acidity than the other two Adrianna bottlings; it's vibrant and lively, nicely textured and surprisingly fresh. The creamy and lactic note disappeared after some time in the glass, giving way to fresher notes, almost citrus.

They have also done a selection of individual plants, discarding some plants in lower parts, and the wine has gained in precision and freshness. They used a high percentage of full clusters and fermented it in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured it in used oak barrels for 18 months. In 2018, the three Adrianna bottlings have more defined character; the differences are more marked than in a year like 2017. This has to be among the finest vintages for the Mundus Bacillus Terrae. 4,800 bottles were filled in November 2019.

Drink 2021 - 2028

Luis Gutiérrez, Wine Advocate (March 2021)