Zuccardi Aluvional Paraje Altamira Malbec 2017

“The 2017 Aluvional Paraje Altamira comes from the south, in a newly planted part of Altamira, with more slopes and more heterogeneous soils and more stones. The wines have a big structure, the backbone is more austere, the wine less juicy; and there is more limestone and the soils are shallow. The wine has less concentration and less sweetness than the ones from the more traditional, flatter and deeper part of Altamira. There is a combination of power and finesse here. In 2017, they harvested very early, and the wine is just below 14% alcohol. 10,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2018. Drink: 2021-2026. 95 points

Aluvional is Zuccardi’s village range, Altamira is the “paraje” or zone/quarter within the village, something larger than a vineyard, and then there is the single-vineyard range, being more precise in the origin of the grape as you go up in the hierarchy, a little in the Burgundy style. But in the single-vineyard Finca Piedra Infinita, they also have plots, Supercal and Gravascal, like the lieux-dits in a crus. They even use “lugar dicho,” which is the Spanish translation for “lieu-dit.”

2017 was a warmer year and they harvested very quickly and were guided by the soil differentiation. Some wines can be as fresh as in 2018! 2018 is closed, a young vintage with a sharp and austere profile.”

Luis Gutierrez, Wine Advocate (03/21)