Amazing Malbec

2016 Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira Malbec...$139.99
I was blown away by the 2016 Finca Piedra Infinita, a wine I have been anticipating because I’ve seen the progression of the wine over the last few years. They use almost 40 different components to make this wine from small plots within the vineyard, especially the soils they call "supercalcáreo" (super limestone). The other type of soil they use is what they call "gravas calcáreas" (limestone gravels), and they don’t use any of the grapes from the deeper soils that go into the Q range. The wine has reached a stratospheric level of precision, symmetry and elegance in 2016 that is really captivating. Everything seems to be in its place; there is great harmony, the aromatics are clean and pure and the texture is like liquid chalk. There is power and elegance, energy and finesse. This is a really outstanding wine that summarizes the hard work at Zuccardi in the last few years. Bravo! 6,400 bottles were filled in February 2017.
Rated 100/100 The Wine Advocate
Rated 96/100 Vinous Media


2015 Zuccardi Finca Piedra Infinita Altamira Malbec...$139.99
As with the whole collection of 2015s from the high end, the single-vineyard 2015 Finca Piedra Infinita reveals a gobsmacking selection from shallow soils that produce super austere Malbec wines with reticent noses, with more influence from the vinification with full clusters and less oak than ever. The palate shows marked influence from the limestone soils. As I've seen in some of these top reds from Argentina, this is not about the variety at all, it's about the soils. And in this case, the wine even seems to transcend the vintage character, as their work has gained so much in precision that the wines are better every year. Where will the limit be? 2015 was not an easy year, yet the wine is better than ever. With time in the glass, the aromas that emerge are more about the herbs in the countryside than fruit—rockrose, thyme, etc. It has to be the finest wine I have ever tasted from Zuccardi. Beautiful. But 2016 should be coming next... 5,000 bottles were filled in December 2016.
Rated 98/100 Wine Advocate
Rated 97/100 James Suckling