2018 Familia Zuccardi, Finca Piedra Infinita, Supercal, Mendoza, Argentina
Critics reviews
There is a strong iron note in the 2018 Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal, a Malbec from a small plot within Piedra Infinita, usually the first plot to be harvested within Piedra Infinita. It's an extreme plot, very shallow and with pure stone and a strong character. They found this plot in search for "cal," pure limestone, so they want a strong sensation of chalk in the wine here. This is austere, and I think it's more precise than in previous vintages. Only 1,000 bottles were filled in August 2019.
Drink 2021 - 2030
Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
The 2018 Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal comes from Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, specifically a selection of calcium rich soils. The reductive nose delivers aromas of sweet and sour cherry, violets and traces of herbs that, in the house style, take a while to appear, but when they do, they boast a fruity subtlety. It is tense in the mouth with a significant amount of chalk and a juicy freshness that marshals the palate, ensuring that the flavors are precisely organized. Intensity and nuance are the order of the day in this red made rugged by the chalky soils of the region. The 2018 is the kind of wine that gives drinkers plenty to think about.
Drink 2023 - 2039
Joaquin Hidalgo, Vinous
About this WINE
Zuccardi
In 1963, the Zuccardi family first planted grapevines in the Maipú region of Mendoza. This beautiful valley is high up in the foothills of the Andes mountains, and the mountain peaks, covered in snow year-round, dominate the background of this winery.
Zuccardi have spent years learning about the terroir in their vineyards, honing in on the different soil types and effects of altitude on the wines, and matching their blend of grapes – Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Bonarda and Tempranillo as well as Malbec – perfectly to site. Their highest altitude plots are within the sub-regions of Gualtallary and Paraje Altamira, over 1000m above sea level. Here the intense sunlight and cooling effect of altitude result in elegant wines of great finesse.
Their most famous vineyard, Piedra Infinita, produces Malbecs of astonishing elegance. In 2016 the Zuccardi family opened a new winery in the heart of the vineyard. Nestled amongst the vines and made from local materials, the winery seems to be a part of the vineyard itself. Tasting and eating in the restaurant located in the winery, it is easy to understand just why these wines are described as mountain wines.
Malbec
Known as Auxerrois in Cahors, Cot in the Loire and Malbeck in Argentina, this grape has undergone a mini renaissance in the last decade, largely fuelled by its success in South America. It used to be a staple component of the Bordeaux Blend, but it never recovered fully from the 1956 frosts and its plantings there have fallen by 75% as growers have replaced it with more fashionable, and crucially, more durable grapes.
It is still grown successfully in South West France where its most famous wine is Cahors. This wine used to be black as coal and tough as leather but improvements in viticultural and vinification techniques have led to riper, softer, more approachable wines that are now amongst the best of the region.
In Argentina it is widely grown and produces deep coloured wines with generous black fruit characteristics, balanced acidity and smooth tannins. It is either bottled on its own or as part of a Bordeaux blend. In Chile it is the 3rd most widely planted grape after Pais and Cabernet Sauvignon and tends to produce firmer, more tannic wines than its Argentinian neighbours. In Chile it is often blended with Merlot and Petit Verdot.
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Description
There is a strong iron note in the 2018 Finca Piedra Infinita Supercal, a Malbec from a small plot within Piedra Infinita, usually the first plot to be harvested within Piedra Infinita. It's an extreme plot, very shallow and with pure stone and a strong character. They found this plot in search for "cal," pure limestone, so they want a strong sensation of chalk in the wine here. This is austere, and I think it's more precise than in previous vintages. Only 1,000 bottles were filled in August 2019.
Drink 2021 - 2030
Luis Gutiérrez, The Wine Advocate
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