2021 Finca Las Cerrilladas Malbec
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Tasting notes
From their Finca Las Cerrilladas vineyard in Gualtallary, located at about 1,360 m elevation at the foot of the Jaboncillo Hills. Fermented and aged in concrete tanks. 30% whole bunch. TA 5.97 g/l, pH 3.65. Brooding and more closed than the 2021 Piedra Infinita and Canal Uco Malbecs tasted alongside this. Restrained notes of plum, ink, meat and black tea. Chewy, intense tannins. This is formidable now and needs time, but it's brimming with potential. (JRL)
Critic scores
Average Score
Matthew Luczy, Wine Advocate
James Suckling
More reviews and scores
Vinified entirely in concrete with 40% whole clusters, the 2021 Finca Las Cerrilladas comes from alluvial soils in the Monasterio section of Gualtallary, featuring sand, calcium carbonate and caliche. It opens with an initially introverted, coiled bouquet that gradually reveals the quintessential herbal, spice-driven and elegantly floral profile characteristic of Gualtallary, delivered with delicacy and subtlety. The palate is sleek, racy, tensile and gently enveloping, transitioning seamlessly to a spectacular, complex and multidimensional finish that balances tenacious grip, alluring nuance, vertical lift and weightless density. I found this to be approaching the same league as the reference-point Piedra Infinita bottlings, a feat all the more remarkable as it is only the third iteration produced so far. My score could be viewed as conservative with a few more years in bottle.
From an estate-grown site at 4,462-feet elevation surrounded by native vegetation and divided into 30 parcels, the 2021 Malbec Finca Las Cerrilladas is dusty in tannins and complex, with nuanced aspects of red fruit, dried herb, and earth. The acidity is persistent and adds lasting freshness, never letting the wine get heavy or heady. It's a remarkably delicious and memorable wine. Age 15-18 years. A multi-generational winery and restaurant in the Valle de Uco under the guidance of winemaker Sebastian Zuccardi, these are mountain wines with a sense of place, expressive of the terroir of specific vineyards, parcels, soils, and altitude. In 2016, the winery was built after dividing vineyards by soil type, and it’s made entirely of concrete inside and out, with concrete vessels also used for fermentation and aging. Its highest-level wines are the Parcel Wines, made to show the uniqueness of a particular parcel of land within an estate vineyard.
The 2021 Finca Las Cerrilladas is 100% Malbec from Gualtallary, where calcium-carbonate-rich soils lend a distinct chalky texture to the palate. The cool 2021 vintage gave this purple-hued wine a pristine, fruit-forward character, complemented by wild mountain herbs, violet and a backdrop of plum and cherry. It is taut and chalky on the palate, with a strong, textured mouthfeel and ample tension, finishing with layered herbal nuances. This is a true tour de force for a Malbec from Gualtallary.
About the producer
Based in the Uco Valley, Zuccardi is one of Argentina’s leading producers. Family owned and run – today by third-generation Sebastián Zuccardi – the property crafts pure-fruited wines that speak of their mountainous Mendoza terroir.