This is not your father’s Chardonnay--unless you are very old and your father was from Cuyo, Mendoza. Then maybe it is. Mendoza is the largest wine-growing region in Latin America and as you know quantity does not generally equate to quality, but the Catena family’s estate vineyards are located in the premier growing regions of Mendoza's high altitude wine country, Cuyo, at 3,000 - 5,000 feet above sea level and they are credited with putting Argentinian wine on the map. The region’s altitude is unique to the wine world, and with this wine they strive to let the grapes express that distinct character while also expressing the Argentine cultural tradition of fermenting white wines on the skins in clay pots. This is a “naked wine” with no sulfur or preservatives used other than the tannins from the grape skins. They also ferment the wine in clay pots which have been commonly used in the region since the colonial era and which impart no flavors to the wine. The wine then continues to age in the clay pots on the skins for more than 9 months. There is orange wine, and then there is orange wine aged on the skins. That is so old school it's biblical. This is a white that needs some air time, just like red wine, to let all the various flavors emerge. Fresh, with marked acidity and a little tannic grip, there are tea-like flavors, exotic tropical fruits, and a long and mildly nutty finish. Drink now with almost anything.