Winemaker Notes
Deep red color with violet hues. Expresses a red and black fruit character with notes of blackberry, cherry, plum complemented by fresh herbal and violet notes. Juicy, with a lively acidity, mineral texture and elegant tannins. It has a long finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is very floral, with notes of wild sage, black olives and rosemary to the black fruit on both the nose and palate. Full-bodied with layers of fruit and very fine tannins that give a plushness and depth. Spicy at the finish. Exceptional. Needs three to four years to open. Drink from 2027.
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Decanter
A Malbec of great purity and depth, with generous, complementary sweet and savoury layers. Bayleaf, rocket, tarragon and sage lead the bouquet with herbal lusciousness, followed by oily bayleaf and wild fennel - all topped by grafrant Parma violets. A fleshy core of maraschino cherry, roasted pepper and sundried tomato fills the mouth, supported by a muscular yet refreshing tannic structure.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The most multidimensional of the Aluvional range is the 2021 Aluvional Gualtallary, which opens with an initially introverted, brooding bouquet of smoldering, saturated black fruits and increasingly lifted tones of wild herbs and dried flowers. The palate is suave, rich and compact, seamlessly culminating in a swelling, dense and bracingly structured finish laden with drying but refined tannins and blazing mineral persistence. This does a commendable job of capturing Gualtallary's wild yet focused profile and does so with compelling grace and control.
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Vinous
The 2021 Malbec Aluvional Gualtallary, sourced from the Uco Valley, spent a winter in concrete vats before bottling. This purple-hued wine reveals delicate herbal and black fruit aromas with a deep layer of plum. Rich yet compact, the palate is tense and juicy, with notes of black olives and a chalky mineral texture. Lean at 13.8% alcohol, it’s full of energy, complexity and deep expressiveness.
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Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi describes his creations as “mountain wines,” and this Malbec truly embodies that spirit. The nose evokes the essence of a winter morning at the foothills of the Andes, with aromas of wet stone and jarilla. Well-defined flavors of dark cherries and mulberries take center stage, complemented by thyme, black pepper and graphite. Supported by exceptional acidity and firm tannins, the wine has depth and a vibrant character.
Editors' Choice -
Wine Spectator
A bit tightly wound but with plenty of promise, this angular red leads with plumeria and spiced red currant notes before adding a lively core of blood orange and cherry. Peppery and fresh herb elements fill out the lengthy finish around fleshy tannins. Malbec. Best from 2026 through 2040.
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.
By far the largest and best-known winemaking province in Argentina, Mendoza is responsible for over 70% of the country’s enological output. Set in the eastern foothills of the Andes Mountains, the climate is dry and continental, presenting relatively few challenges for viticulturists during the growing season. Mendoza, divided into several distinctive sub-regions, including Luján de Cuyo and the Uco Valley, is the source of some of the country’s finest wines.
For many wine lovers, Mendoza is practically synonymous with Malbec. Originally a Bordelaise variety brought to Argentina by the French in the mid-1800s, here it found success and renown that it never knew in its homeland where a finicky climate gives mixed results. Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Pinot Noir are all widely planted here as well (and sometimes even blended with each other or Malbec). Mendoza's main white varieties include Chardonnay, Torrontés, Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon.