There is an usual stony austerity in the 2021 Adrianna Vineyard River, cropped from a cold year when the full clusters fermented in concrete with a slightly shorter maceration and an élevage in a 2,000-liter oak foudre and the rest in stainless steel. It has a moderate 13.4% alcohol with very high acidity (8.2!) and a low pH (3.37), incredible parameters of freshness. The wine was closed and took time to take off in the glass, revealing a very elegant and subtle personality, with the silky texture of the very fine tannins, pristine aromas and flavors and a sense of harmony that was moving. It's powerful but extremely elegant in that rare combination of clout and energy, a wine of light, aerial, with some ethereal qualities, delicate and refined. This combines the cool place and high altitude, the cool year and the stony soils, to deliver a stunning Malbec that goes well beyond the variety. Bravo! Drink date: 2024-2040. Score - 100. (Luis Gutiérrez, robertparker.com, Aug. 31, 2023)

According to winemaker Alejandro Vigil, the name Mundus Bacillus comes from the bacterial world that exists in that small, 1.4-hectare piece of the Adrianna Vineyard, in Gualtallary, about 1,400 meters above sea level and toward the north of the Uco Valley. The symbiosis of that molecular world with the roots and the strong presence of calcium carbonate make this malbec seem to cross the variety's borders and offer a wine that's much more austere wine than its partners in this line (Adrianna Fortuna and River), with tannins that are much chalkier and more severe. The malbec aromas appear in the form of sour cherries, but it also has a good share of mineral, saline aromas that lend it an interesting complexity. The cool 2021 season has only exacerbated the tense and energetic character of this wine, one of the best in a vintage that has been excellent in Mendoza. Add to that that this is the first time since this wine originated in 2013 that it wasn't aged in barrels or oak, but rather in concrete tanks. Score - 100. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2024)

This is really something. There's purity and focus to the aromas of crushed berries, licorice and black tea, which follow through to an integrated palate of extremely fine, melted tannins that spread to the very ends of the wine. This is all about balance and length. It really is an emotional wine. Great follow-up to the 2017, which was also 100 points. Drinkable now, but better after 2024. Score - 100. (jamessuckling.com, Jan. 26, 2021)

A rich, energetic Malbec, with hints of crushed berries, orange peel, and dark chocolate. Perfect for any collector.

Perfumed and seductive nose of purple plums, blueberries, dried roses, violets, lemon zest, chocolate, truffles and cigar box. It's full-bodied, yet so elegant and weightless. Seamless, finely knit tannins. Beautiful, lengthy finish. Try from 2024 [through early 2030s]. Score - 98. (jamessuckling.com, May 3, 2022)

Blackberries with some black tea and perfumes. Full-bodied with fine, dusty tannins and seamless texture. So long and consistent. 60% whole cluster fermentation with 14 months in oak casks. Glorious, tactile wine. Drinkable now, but better in three or four years. [This will drink into the early 2030s.] Score - 99. (jamessuckling.com, Feb. 3, 2022)

The 2020 Chardonnay Adrianna Vineyard White Stones from Gualtallary, Uco Valley, wasbarrel-aged for 16 months. Greenish-yellow in the glass. The intense, layered nose presents bold aromas of green apple, pear, hints of linden blossom and ginger with touches of lemon and herbs. In the mouth, it's concentrated, rooted in a lively, heightened freshness while maintaining the variety's expansive flow, which also delivers salinity and long-lasting flavor. A thrilling white that defines this nook of the Uco Valley. Drinking window: 2022-2030. Score - 97. (Joaquín Hidalgo, vinous.com, Aug. 2022)

Few red wines can rival grand Argentinian Malbec for drama and grandeur, and this version from the Altamira zone of La Consulta (in the Uco Valley) stood out even amongst its dramatic, strikingly profiled peers. It is jet black, just shot with purple at the rim. Soaringly expressive Malbec rose and tea leaf lifts from the glass with enviable purity, without a trace of distorting oak. In the mouth, it is deep and long: an arrow of fruit yet elegant, deftly textured with a snow of fine tannins, and devoid of alcoholic heat or intrusive, strenuous acidity. A sumptuous, haute-couture Malbec where the vineyard's untrammeled fruit and inner radiance has been given voice. 100% Malbec. Best in Show. Score - 97. (Decanter World Wine Awards, 2021)

In its initial versions, Catena Alta used to come from the Angélica Vineyard beside the Mendoza River and from vineyards that are almost 100 years old. But as Catena has planted malbec in other places, especially in the Uco Valley, the blend has expanded, and today it comes from Angélica, in Lunlunta, but also from Agrelo, Gualtallary, and Altamira, primarily. In a warm year like 2020, the malbec's sweet flavors are strongly felt along with a very smooth texture and fine, round tannins. This is a very fruity, succulent, and ripe wine, although not tiresome in the least. The acidity makes it agile. Score - 94. (Patricio Tapia, guiadescorchados.cl, 2023)