2019 Familia Zuccardi, Finca Canal Uco, Malbec, Altamira, Mendoza, Argentina
Critics reviews
What a nose, garnering complexity and depth. A wide spectrum of aromas that range from blackberries and blueberries to graphite, tree bark and wet earth. A medium-to full-bodied red, showing so much fleshy fruit and powerful, chalky tannins. But never imposing nor flattering. Impeccable poise, with a long, tight finish. This is the kind of wine that you can drink now or lay down for two decades. Better from 2025.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Mar 2022)
This is the first wine from Zuccardi that will be sold through the Place de Bordeaux this year. A 100% Malbec coming from the distinctive high-altitude Finca Canal Uco, 1,100m high with alluvial and calcareous soils in Paraja Altamira. It has a beautifully fragrant nose, smells so seductive with ripe blackcurrant fruits and soft floral touches. Gorgeous texture and intensity here, slightly chalky and salty tannins support the rich and concentrated fruits. There is power and richness but also finesse and such striking energy, it's a bold wine with lots to say. Clearly confident but I love the drive and the fresh finish. There is a clarity and definition here that is quite compelling and a lingering minerality that is appealing. Aged in concrete tanks so the wine sees no oak.
Drink 2022 - 2034
Georgina Hindle, Decanter.com (Aug 2022)
The 2019 Malbec Finca Canal Uco hails from Uco Valley and was made in concrete vats. Intense purple in hue. The nose, initially shy, grows increasingly nuanced and intense with time in the glass. It presents notes of cherry, plum, thyme and hints of bay leaf, violet, lavender and other herbs accompanied by an unusual whiff of pink grapefruit. Pristine and elemental in style, this is a textured red in which the fine-grained tannins deliver plenty of chalk, as well as crisp, juicy freshness. More intense and layered than other wines from the house, the formidable fruit flavors are part of a raw, unfiltered expression of the terroir.
Drink 2025 - 2035
Joaquin Hidalgo, vinous.com (Nov 2021)
About this WINE
Familia Zuccardi
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
What a nose, garnering complexity and depth. A wide spectrum of aromas that range from blackberries and blueberries to graphite, tree bark and wet earth. A medium-to full-bodied red, showing so much fleshy fruit and powerful, chalky tannins. But never imposing nor flattering. Impeccable poise, with a long, tight finish. This is the kind of wine that you can drink now or lay down for two decades. Better from 2025.
James Suckling, jamessuckling.com (Mar 2022)
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