2017 Zuccardi 'Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira Gravascal' Malbec Uco Valley

Winemaker Notes: Zuccardi Piedra Infinita is made from 100% Malbec and sourced from a small parcel of vines in the Paraje Altamira vineyard. The wine is made from 40 components and small plots deriving from a mixture of terroir. It is famous for its alluvial soil with limestone-covered rocks from the surface down. These are called ‘supercalcáreo’ or super limestone. Other soil is given the name ‘gravas calcareas’ or limestone gravels. They do not use any grapes from the deeper soils, the selection is draconian. The plots are located at an altitude of 1100 metres above sea level. They hand-harvest, vinify the wine in concrete and use only indigenous yeasts. The wine is aged in used 500 litre wooden barrels. The result is exceptional, a Malbec masterpiece!

CRITICAL ACCLAIM


Robert Parker - “They use some specific soils for the 2017 Finca Piedra Infinita, up to eight different plots, but not all plots contribute to the wine every vintage; in general, the zones with 20 to 60 centimeters of soil and then large stones with calcium carbonate are reflected in the wines. So, they deconstruct the vineyard, and then they build the blend with the plots they like for each wine, up to eight here but only a specific one for the Supercal and Gravascal. There's a little more ripeness and exuberance here within the general austerity of the whole Piedra Infinita range, especially when compared with the 2018s. They harvested 15 to 20 days earlier than in 2018 (or in 2016) and they had to run, but the separation they have by soil helped them to harvest earlier the earlier-ripening parts of the vineyard. That gave them a great advantage and they produced very good 2017s, but the condition of the year, a shorter cycle and a more hurried year was what it was. This 2017 is not as long as the 2018, and there is a strong chalkiness in the finish. 7,300 bottles were filled in August 2018.”


James Suckling - "This is very intense with blackberry and blueberry character, as well as hot stones and granite. Full body. Chewy tannins fan out across the palate. A serious, powerful wine. Needs at least four or five years to soften. Impressive."