2019 Zuccardi Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Paraje Altamira Valle de Uco 750 ml

Great critic scores are impressive. What’s far more impressive (and rare) is critical consensus—something Sebastián Zuccardi enjoys regularly. His status-quo-defying Malbecs are favorites of seemingly every wine pro out there.

James Suckling called his 2019 Malbec Finca Piedra Infinita Paraje Altamira Valle de Uco “great, cerebral and intrinsic” in his 99-point review, while Decanter called it simply “superb.” We call it a pure look at the heights this variety can achieve—a bold declaration that the best terroirs in Argentina need no embellishment to deliver greatness.

Zuccardi is a winemaker with an incredibly contagious passion for terroir. He’s so obsessed with Mendoza that he constructed his winery from stones he found in his vineyards—a feat that earned a “World’s Best Vineyard” honor from CNN. His mad-scientist-level passion also won him a spot on Decanter’s list of South America’s Top 10 winemakers. His vision for Argentina’s future is crystal-clear, ambitious, and squarely focused on terroir. 

At nearly 4,000 feet above sea level, the Finca Piedra Infinita site behind this Malbec is so rocky the vines struggle to find purchase between the stones that make up the hillside. Zuccardi developed the site himself, painstakingly cultivating each row. Come harvest, the resulting berries are sorted and fermented based on the soil depth and nutrients of each row. 

Hailing from the rockiest areas of the vineyard, which combine intense color from extreme UV light exposure with structure from cold temperatures and the soil’s lack of nutrients, the wine showcases the struggle of its origins beautifully. Made without oak, the wine sings with pure fruit notes and underlying hints of violets, wild herbs, and supple tannins.