ZUCCARDI Malbec 'Finca Piedra Infinita' Paraje Altamira 2017 Bottle

Description

The vintage was a warmer year than the prior three vintages, the harvest was early and has resulted in wines that are a little more ripe, open and less austere than the 2016 Piedra Infinita. Whilst the 2017 is not a highly rated as the 2016 or 2018 vintage the resulting wine from Zuccardi is excellent attributable to the hard work done in the vineyards and the fact that they have the flexibility of various plots that go into blending the Piedra Infinita.

The Wine Advocate 98 points
Drink Date: 2021 - 2028 - They use some specific soils for the 2017 Finca Piedra Infinita, up to eight different plots, but not all plots contribute to the wine every vintage; in general, the zones with 20 to 60 centimeters of soil and then large stones with calcium carbonate are reflected in the wines. So, they deconstruct the vineyard, and then they build the blend with the plots they like for each wine, up to eight here but only a specific one for the Supercal and Gravascal. There's a little more ripeness and exuberance here within the general austerity of the whole Piedra Infinita range, especially when compared with the 2018s. They harvested 15 to 20 days earlier than in 2018 (or in 2016) and they had to run, but the separation they have by soil helped them to harvest earlier the earlier-ripening parts of the vineyard. That gave them a great advantage and they produced very good 2017s, but the condition of the year, a shorter cycle and a more hurried year was what it was. This 2017 is not as long as the 2018, and there is a strong chalkiness in the finish. 7,300 bottles were filled in August 2018. - Luis Gutiérrez, 31st Mar 2021