Zuccardi Concreto Malbec, Valle de Uco

Description

Zuccardi Concreto Malbec is part of Zuccardi’s “Vinos de Viticulor” range of wines created by Sebastian Zuccardi as a tribute to the inspiring members of his family whose passion and innovation has established Zuccardi as one of Argentina’s leading wineries. It is a cooler, mineral and fresher style of wine which is atypical of the Mendoza region.

Zuccardi Wines was founded by Alberto “Tito” Zuccardi. Zuccardi was an engineer who had arrived in Mendoza from the Tucuman province of north western Argentina where his Italian grandparents had settled. Zuccardi was primarily working on irrigations systems which are very important in a region with minimal rainfall. In order to demonstrate his irrigation system he planted a vineyard in Maipu in 1963. This was to be the Zuccardi family’s entry into the world of wine. Constuction of their first winery began in 1968. Zuccardi was followed into the business by his son, Jose, in 1976 and Jose’s son, Sebastian, who is now the Zuccardi winemaker, joined the family business in 2002.

Zuccardi is based in the Valle de Uco and new winery was completed in Paraje Altamira in 2013. In 2019 Sebastian was voted one of South America’s most exciting winemakers by Decanter Magazine and Zuccardi Valle de Uco voted “The World’s Best Vineyard”. The Valle de Uco is located at the foot of the Andes and runs north to south along the western edge of the Mendoza wine-growing region. Zuccardi have several vineyard locations comprising some 800 hectares. As well as vineyards at the wine in Paraje Altamira, there are also vineyards in La Consulta, Vista Flores, Santa Rosa and Maipu. 35% of their vineyards have organic certification and the others are all sustainably managed.

The grapes for the Zuccardi Concreto Malbec come from the Paraje Altamira vineyard. The soils here are calcareous / limestone. The wine is fermented and aged in concrete, hence the name “concreto”. The concrete vats are egg-shaped. The 100% Malbec grapes undergo 50% whole cluster fermentation in concrete vats without expoxy using native yeasts and maceration for 20 days.