Concreto Malbec Zuccardi 2020

Concreto Malbec Zuccardi, Paraje Altamira, Uco Valley, Mendoza, Argentina, 2020   

Grape: 100% Malbec unoaked, rocky/calcareous soil, 50% whole bunch maceration, aged in concrete eggs

This full bodied Malbec comes from high altitude vineyards (1100m) in Paraje Altamira, where the soil is bare (20cm on average) which leads to one of the best Malbec from the region.

Critics' Tasting Notes:

"This malbec comes from vineyards planted in 2009 next to the impressive Zuccardi winery in Altamira. And it was the first wine to be vinified in that winery, in 2014. Without wood, and one hundred percent whole bunch, in concrete vessels, the 2020 vintage has been warm and you can feel something of that here, but what dominates is the sensation of verticality, of tension in a red that has a layer of ripe red fruit, succulent, but always with nerve; it never loses that tannic strength, that grip that gives energy, that gives shine."

95/100 points, Patricio Tapia, DESCORCHADOS, January 2022

"Scion and exceptionally talented young Sebastián Zuccardi, 3rd generation winemaker, pioneered this Concreto malbec, grown at Finca Piedra Infinita in Uco's Paraje Altamira, at 1100m. The vines are rooted in the rocky calcareous soils, and the whole cluster grapes were native fermented and aged in concrete eggs (specially made, without epoxy), with the aim to show the purity of the grape on this special site. The altitude gifts immediate freshness, easily trumping the hot 2020 vintage, turning out wild plum, fragrant black cherry, smouldering tobacco, fresh violets, and crushed stones which course along a full, yet taut palate. The fine, firm, and lengthy tannins lead this to an amply salt studded finish. Such a beaut, and promise for a future Malbec purity in Argentia."

93/100 points, Treve Ring, GISMONDI ON WINE, December 2022

Also rated 94/100 points, Tim Atkin MW, January 2021

Food Matching:

Try some "Concreto" with venison steaks cooked with beetroot, juniper and blackberries.