Finca Los Membrillos 2017 Zuccardi

Tasting Notes

The first impression is graphite and crushed stone, then the cassis comes through, dark and a bit brooding. Hints of bay leaf and floral notes are also felt. In the mouth, the tannins are firm but delicate. This is not the chewy, jammy Cabernet often found in Argentine wines. The finish is long and savory, with a salty, mineral flavor; the 2017 wine should be left in bottle for a few more years before opening.

Grape Varieties

The winery's Finca Los Membrillos is made from 100% cabernet sauvignon. It uses no Malbec or Cabernet Franc to soften its flavor. So why bottle it in its purest form? Because cabernet behaves differently on calcareous soils at over 1,000 meters above sea level than it does in the warmer Luján de Cuyo. You get firmer tannins, fresher acidity and notes of graphite and laurel that Bordeaux fans will recognize. Thanks to the grapes not being blended, it speaks clearly of the earth.

Cellaring Potential

Drink between 2026 and 2038; the 2017 still has firm tannins and fresh acidity that needs a few more years to settle. Store at 12-14°C. With time, graphite and stone nuances become deeper and the fruitiness shifts from blackcurrant to dried blackberry and tobacco.

The Producer

The Zuccardi company did not start with wine. It began with irrigation systems. Alberto Zuccardi planted vines in Maipú in 1963 to demonstrate his technical skills. Since then, the family has perfected what came out of that accident: the third generation, Sebastian Zuccardi, shifted his focus to the high-altitude Uco Valley in the early 2000s and opened his current winery in Paraje Altamira in 2016. He is considered one of the most exciting producers in South America today, partly because he has moved away from the oaky, jammy style of Mendoza that made the region famous.

Terroir & Climate

The Paraje Altamira winery is located in the southern part of the Uco Valley, which was granted Geographical Indication status in 2013. The soils are shallow sandy topsoil over a large gravel subsoil coated with calcium carbonate. This limestone coating gives the Cabernet Sauvignon its chalky tannins and salty flavor. At an elevation of approximately 1,100 meters, the region has hot days and cold nights. Rainfall is less than 250 millimeters per year. Without the melting snow from the Andes feeding the Tunuyán River, nothing would grow here.

Winemaking

The main attraction here is simple. Sebastian Zuccardi and winemaker Laura Príncipe ferment their wines in concrete tanks with indigenous yeasts and age them in concrete or large 2500-5000 liter neutral foudres. Why? To let the lime soil speak for itself, not the blend. And it is remarkable. It tastes of stone and fruit, not vanilla and toast. No pumping over to extract every last bit from the grapes. The result is a Cabernet that feels like an Argentine Cabernet, not something borrowed from Napa or Bordeaux.

Food Pairing

Cabernet at high altitudes requires protein and some char. Remember the Mendoza classic:

• Asado de Tira (short rib of beef cooked over wood).
• Entraña (skirt steak) with chimichurri, whose herbs complement the minty notes of the wine.
• Provoleta, grilled provolone, the salt and smoke combines with the acidity of the wine.
• Aged hard cheeses if you don't eat meat.

Serve at 16-18°C. Decant about 1 hour before serving.