Zuccardi Valle de Uco: textured, unique and revolutionary wines
Tasted during a masterclass of international wines on La Place de Bordeaux, two expressions from Argentinian producer Zuccardi Valle de Uco reveal why wines from the Uco Valley are deserving of global acclaim.
In November, the drinks business editor-in-chief Patrick Schmitt MW hosted a masterclass showcasing the top international wines traded on French distribution system La Place de Bordeaux.
The session, held during ProWine Shanghai, aimed to reveal why expressions from around the world have secured a place on the iconic platform.
Among the wines were two Argentinian expressions, both from Zuccardi Valle de Uco, which highlighted the quality and diversity of the country’s wines.
El Camino de Las Flores 2024
First on the docket was something very different for La Place: a white wine from Mendoza. The wine is named after the vineyard in which its grapes are grown, which sits alongside a dry stream where native flowers bloom in the spring.
The site, which sits at 1,360 metres in altitude, is planted at the foot of the Jaboncillo hills in the Uco Valley, called cerrilladas, in Gualtallary Monasterio – an area considered a grand cru in the country.
Third generation winemaker Sebastián Zuccardi believes this plot to be the best site for Chardonnay grapes. “When we go to the highest parts of the Uco Valley, like Monasterio, I believe that Chardonnay is the best grape to express the place. It loves the cold climate and the calcaire soils,” he says.
Zuccardi argues that Argentina is “experiencing a true revolution in white wines”.
He explains: “In the last 15 years we came to understand that the mountains can make great whites because of the very pure sunlight and unique calcareous soils.”
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Youthful – being from the 2024 vintage – the wine is fresh and lively. Notably, this high-end Chardonnay is made and aged entirely in concrete vessels – no oak was employed in its production.
Tasting notes
In a world where most high-end Chardonnays feature the influence of oak and malolactic fermentation – lending the wines flavours of vanillin and cream – this expression stands apart. Only fermented and aged in concrete, and without the conversion of malic to lactic acid, it is an austere, linear and zesty style – indeed, piercing in its freshness and intensity. Dominant and lingering are clean, lemon characters, although the mid-palate features some white fleshed peach, while the finish features a touch of chalk dust and rock salt, which work to extend the citrus-like sense of refreshment. Patrick Schmitt MW
Finca Canal Uco 2021
The next wine was from the same producer, but red. Equally distinctive, Finca Canal Uco is from another great site in the Uco Valley – Altamira.
Hailing from the 2021 vintage, the grapes used to produce this wine grow on a small plot on silty and sandy soils over a limestone base planted in 2007.
“It is an honour for us to present Finca Canal Uco through La Place de Bordeaux in China. This vineyard marked our family’s arrival in the Uco Valley and remains an incredibly special place for us,” Zuccardi says.
“Altamira’s proximity to the mountains, its calcareous soils, and this beautiful vintage come together to make this wine truly unique.”
Notably, like the Chardonnay, the Malbec sees no oak during its production and is aged entirely in raw concrete vessels.
Zuccardi adds: “The 2021 vintage shows us the intensity of the fruit that we have here, the influence of the native vegetation, and the texture that the calcaire-rich soils give to the wine.”
Tasting notes
An exciting chance to try the intense characters of high-altitude Malbec from one of the finest subregions in Mendoza – Altamira. Presented here in an unoaked form, the fully ripe and dark fruit flavours of this wine shout loud and clear as soon as this fleshy and fine-grained red hits the tongue. Soon after this, more notes emerge, ranging from black pepper, crushed rocks, and a hint of rucola, then some plums and cherry stone too, as the wine comes to a mouthwatering and dry tannic close. Patrick Schmitt MW
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