Malbec
3 x 75cl * 14% ABV * Uco Valley, Argentina
Zuccardi's Finca range comprises five "pure mountain wines" that express the identity of a specific site. In this case, the estate uses just short of 40 different components to make this wine from a small plot, just 0.73ha on the north-east of the Piedra Infinita vineyard. The key difference between here and the Supercal plot is that the limestone covered rocks begin at a depth of 60cm below the surface; "gravas calcáreas" (limestone gravels).
2018 was a cold and dry vintage, which resulted in very healthy grapes and wines of elegance, finesse, and exceptional quality. The wine underwent manual grape selection, fermentation in non-epoxy lined concrete tanks using native yeasts, and ageing in used 500ltr, old oak barrels.
“The 2018 Finca Piedra Infinita Gravascal has notes reminiscent of some wines from the Northern Rhône, a combination of orange peel, blood and iron, denoting freshness and minerality, with a chalky sensation and a finish that is a mixture of juiciness, stoniness, saltiness and texture. It comes from a 0.51-hectare plot in the Piedra Infinita. The wine fermented in concrete with indigenous yeasts and matured in concrete until bottling. I think they have fine-tuned these single-plot wines tremendously since the initial and almost experimental 2015; in this 2018 wine, I found lots of similarities with the Finca Piedra Infinita bottling—it really excels. It finishes with a sapid and salty sensation and marked chalkiness. Finesse, elegance, simply superb!”
100 points I Luis Gutierrez, March 2021
“Blueberries, burnt orange, iodine and roses on the nose. Hints of graphite and tar, too. Full-bodied with ultra fine tannins that envelop the wine. The fruit is pure and precise, displaying uncanny discretion in the ripeness factor. Terrific length and texture at the finish.”
98 points | James Suckling, April 2021