José Zuccardi Malbec

Wine Spectator, the prestigious American magazine specialising in wines for over 30 years, has been selecting the 100 best wines of the year every year since 1988. A very select ranking where wineries, regions and successful vintages from all over the world have their work recognised. Zuccardi, one of the most international Argentine wineries located in the Uco Valley, was one of those chosen in the 2020 ranking with their José Zuccardi Malbec, a red wine that was made as a tribute to José Alberto Zuccardi, the father of the current director Sebastian Zuccardi, and that represents the style of the family.

José Zuccardi Malbec is a red wine made from Malbec with a small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon from different regions of the Uco Valley in Mendoza, Argentina. Some grapes come from vineyards in Altamira with sandy loam soils with gravel and abundant calcareous material. Others come from vineyards in Gualtallary that generally have sandy soils, with gravel and abundant calcium carbonate deposits. They are cultivated using respectful agriculture, highlighting the essence of the terroir and managing each plant in a way that ensures that the grapes express the identity of their origin. In the winery, the selected, destemmed and crushed grapes are fermented in cement tanks at controlled temperatures and then the wine is aged for 24 months in foudres.

They consider themselves a family of winegrowers rather than oenologists and José Zuccardi Malbec is the evolution of Zuccardi Zeta, a powerful and explosive wine made in 2002 by his father, now revived by Sebastian without renouncing the traditional style of the house.