Rating 100
Drink Date 2019 - 2036
Reviewed by Luis Gutiérrez
Issue Date 31st Oct 2019
Source Issue 245 End of October 2019, The Wine Advocate
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.
Zuccardi keeps working the origin of their wines, aiming to show the place in their wines while looking for balance. They're also simplifying things, doing less in the winery and more in the vineyards. I tasted 2016, a cool and wet year when they learned a lot: the wines have less alcohol and are better in the Valle de Uco than in the classical zone of Mendoza. For Zuccardi, it might be their finest vintage to date, where the top of the range really excels; the Finca Piedra Infinita really blew me away. 2017 was warmer and, together with 2016, very low yielding. 2018 was cooler than 2017; the wines are fresher, and it's a more homogeneous year. Most people talk about a classical Mendoza vintage. I didn't taste anything from the 2019 vintage, which was dry and cool (with temperatures almost as cold as 2016)—something unusual, as the vintages tend to be warm and dry or cold and wet. So, let's wait for the 2019s, but in the meantime, there are some exceptional wines in the current offering.
