Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira 2015
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Robert
Parker -
James
Suckling - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Intense red color. It expresses a great fruity character with notes of red fruit. A wine with great acidity and structure. Mineral with wet stone and graphite notes with a very long finish.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
As with the whole collection of 2015s from the high end, the single-vineyard 2015 Finca Piedra Infinita reveals a gobsmacking selection from shallow soils that produce super austere Malbec wines with reticent noses, with more influence from the vinification with full clusters and less oak than ever. The palate shows marked influence from the limestone soils. As I've seen in some of these top reds from Argentina, this is not about the variety at all, it's about the soils. And in this case, the wine even seems to transcend the vintage character, as their work has gained so much in precision that the wines are better every year. Where will the limit be? 2015 was not an easy year, yet the wine is better than ever. With time in the glass, the aromas that emerge are more about the herbs in the countryside than fruit—rockrose, thyme, etc. It has to be the finest wine I have ever tasted from Zuccardi. Beautiful.
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James Suckling
This is so intense and pure in every sense of the words. Crushed stones, blackberries and blueberries. Oyster shell and iodine, too. Full-bodied, tight and layered with a focused austerity, which gives the wine greatness.
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Decanter
A selection of plants on soils rich in chalk, and a snapshot of Altamira with its firm, austere tannins, generous background of ripe red fruits and notes of violets. Deep and intense, with a pungent and fresh acidity. 30% aged in used 500-litre barrels.
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A few years before 1950, Ing. Alberto Zuccardi reaches Mendoza from his homeland in Tucuman where their great-grandparents had settled upon arriving in the Italian region of AveIino. In 1963, Alberto implanted a vineyard in the region of Maipu not knowing that it would begin the great passion of his life, the wine industry. In 1990, his son, Jose Alberto Zuccardi, assumed the General Director of the company.
In 2005, Sebastian Zuccardi, third generation of the family, lead the development of the new stage of the wines of the winery expansion into the Uco Valley. On his initiative, since 2008 the winery has an area of Research and Development dedicated to the study of the terroir and the different variables that affect wine production. In 2013 the construction of the new Zuccardi winery in the Uco Valley began. It opened in March 2016 with the premise of producing wines with identity, through the continuous exploration of the different terroirs of the Uco Valley.
The Zuccardi family’s approach to sustainability starts with the environment and people before any product. They’re dedicated to producing the highest quality wines through sustainable practices such as a focus on nurturing biodiversity, organic farming, efficient irrigation practices, composting, water treatment, comprehensive waste and recycling efforts, and the use of solar energy. The winery itself is designed to be naturally energy efficient by maximizing natural light and minimizing electricity consumption. Its concrete walls fulfill the function of a thermal insulator, the movements of liquid are caused by gravity and the concrete-designed vessels allow for a natural control of the temperature of the wine. As a third generation family-owned winery, the Zuccardi’s take seriously their responsibility to protect the environment, support the land, the farmers and uplift the local community. Through building schools, offering free education, fostering equality, banning child labor, and subsidizing health care, they’re not only elevating their wines and the Uco Valley as a world class wine region, but also giving the people who have contributed to their success a path forward and upward mobility for their own families.
Celebrated for its bold flavors and supple texture, Malbec has enjoyed runaway success in Argentina since the late 20th century. The grape originated in Bordeaux, France, where it historically contributed color and tannin to blends. A French agronomist, who saw great potential for the variety in Mendoza’s hot, high-altitude landscape, brought Malbec to Argentina in 1868. Somm Secret—If you’re trying to please a crowd, Malbec is generally a safe bet with its combination of dense fruit and soft tannins.
With a winning combination of cool weather, high elevation and well-draining alluvial soils, it is no surprise that Mendoza’s Uco Valley is one of the most exciting up-and-coming wine regions in Argentina. Healthy, easy-to-manage vines produce low yields of high-quality fruit, which in turn create flavorful, full-bodied wines with generous acidity.
This is the source of some of the best Malbec in Mendoza, which can range from value-priced to ultra-premium. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Chardonnay also perform well here.