2015 Zuccardi Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Mendoza Argentina

WA98 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.
Zuccardi keeps going from strength to strength and is doing incredible work in the vineyards. They have bought some 35 hectares of land in Gualtallary and are going to plant plots there. The wines keep reflecting the incredible R+D work they do. The Aluvional and Polígonos wines are not only superb, they also have an incredible price for the quality and character they deliver. And the top-of-the-range wines are better than ever, even in a challenging year like 2015. Zuccardi is clearly among the top wineries of the country—and improving each year. Bravo!