Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/688647
36 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } JUNE/JULY 2016 { south america } STANDING AT AN ELEVATION OF OVER 1,100 METERS (3,608 feet) above sea level, on a clear sunny day, at the foot of the Andes Mountains, overlooking vineyards that go on for miles, if you look very closely you can see the outline of the Zuccardi Valle de Uco Winery and surrounding Finca Piedra Infinita vineyards nestled in the ruggedly beautiful landscape. We are in Paraje Altamira, a sub-zone of Argentina's Uco Valley, which in turn is a sub-region of Mendoza (Malbec country, if you will), attending the opening of the winery, recently completed by Familia Zuccardi. The structure is both majestic and functional and is an homage to the terroir and wild beauty of the earth from which it came. While the exterior beauty of this new $15 million winery is striking, it is difficult not to be impressed by the brilliant efficiency of its interior, especially when you see the 3,000-liter-capacity concrete amphorae that will be used for all fermentations in the winery. These "eggs" are not something you would think to find in a new winery; large steel tanks or oak barrels as in Napa or in Bordeaux are more the norm, especially when no expense has been spared. But winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi is making changes to how his grandfather and father made Malbec. He has seen changes in wine consumption around the world and in his own backyard. Zuccardi believes in the symbiotic rela - tionship between tradition and modernity, a rapport that is seen through the research and development team, headed up by Laura Principiano in the winery and Martin Di Stéfano in the vineyards. Out in the vineyards, Zuccardi speaks of natural techniques, soil-specific sites and making wine with less alcohol and more balance. The type of Malbec that has become popular with consumers is the kind that packs a punch, with powerful fruit notes and strong aromatics. Sebastián doesn't want to make those big-alcohol fruit bombs that a large number of produc - ers make to impress some critics; he wants to make wines that shows the grapes' true nature, not concealed by heavy amounts of oak and everything that it imparts. The concrete amphorae allow the wine to ferment without the addition of the flavors that oak fermentation would lend, a more natural and historic method of making wine. Zuccardi was kind enough to guide us through a tasting of wines from all of the single-vineyard sites, explaining the differences that elevation and soil types offer throughout the Uco Valley. In my years as a sommelier, it was one of the most detailed and amazing seminars about terroir I've ever experienced. Look out for the Zuccardi's Finca Piedra Infinita as well as the Malbec Concreto to get an idea of Sebastián Zuccardi's new take on Malbec. Familia Zuccardi is imported by Winesellers, Ltd. PHOTO: EDUARDO BOLAÑOS WE VISIT THE NEW ZUCCARDI VALLE DE UCO WINERY, WHERE FAMILIA ZUCCARDI BRINGS SOPHISTICATION TO ARGENTINA'S SIGNATURE VARIETAL by Eduardo Bolaños Malbec Done Right Zuccardi Concreto is 100% Malbec from the calcareous soils of Paraje Altamira, Valle de Uco, made using whole-cluster fermentation and stored in concrete. Concrete is the theme both in the winery construction and in the wines at the Zuccardi Valle de Uco Winery in Paraje Altamira, Argentina. This single-vineyard release comes from Familia Zuccardi's Finca Piedra Infinita vineyard surrounding the new winery.