Zuccardi Q Tempranillo 2014
-
Parker
Robert - Decanter
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Vegan
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The Zuccardi family has traditionally produced Tempranillo, and the wine is always sold with some more bottle age because they feel the variety needs some time to be expressive, because early on it's difficult to taste it next to a young Malbec, and they wish one day to be able to sell it ten years after the harvest. For now, the wine in the market is the 2014 Q Tempranillo from vines in Santa Rosa planted by Sebastián Zuccardi's grandfather. It's an important wine because it was the first one to carry the Zuccardi name in the label. The first vintage was from 1997, and I had a bottle of that last year that was in top form, so the wine matures nicely in bottle, as the variety can have a long plateau once it reaches maturity. So, this is different from the rest of the Q range; there are always some notes of tobacco and spices, a touch from the oak that is usually quite expressive in Tempranillo, and it's a little more developed and polished.
-
Decanter
The Zuccardi family are making glorious wines in the Andes foothills, but their role in Argentinan wine production is long established. This Tempranillo comes from their Santa Rosa vineyards, close to Mendoza city, and has the warmth and body characteristic of the zone. It's a more traditional style, with oak and spices, a confident expression of Tempranillo. Drinking Window 2020 - 2023
Other Vintages
2016-
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Parker
Robert
-
Suckling
James
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
-
Parker
Robert
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.
Notoriously food-friendly, long-lasting and Spain’s most widely planted grape, Tempranillo is the star variety of red wines from Rioja and Ribera del Duero. The Rioja terms Joven, Crianza, Reserva and Gran Reserva indicate both barrel and bottle time before release. Traditionally blended in Rioja with Garnacha, plus a bit of Mazuelo (Carignan) and Graciano, the Tempranillo in Ribera del Duero typically stands alone. Somm Secret—Tempranillo claims many different names depending on location. In Penedès, it is called Ull de Llebre and in Valdepeñas, goes by Cencibel. Known as Tinta Roriz in Portugal, Tempranillo plays an important role in Port wine.
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.