97 pts Vinous
The 2021 Chardonnay Fósil from San Pablo, Uco Valley was 30% aged in 500-liter barrels, the rest in concrete. Yellow in the glass. The nose offers notes of linden blossom, apple, country herbs and a hint of huacatay, a mountain herb. Dry in the mouth with a chalky feel and expansive freshness that brings nuance and depth; the flow is ethereal and saline while the finish lingers at leisure. The conditions that year really helped to dial up the quality, surpassing previous vintages. A complex, refined expression, tight like the best bands and continuing the austere spirit with which Fósil made its name.
- By Joaquín Hidalgo on August 2022
Zuccardi’s journey is a summation of the contemporary Argentine wine scene. Today, the estate makes some of the most interesting reds and whites in the country when just 20 years ago they were unknown in the fine wines market. In the 1980s, under the second generation of the Zuccardi family, led by José Alberto, the winery produced reds and whites from the east of Mendoza. José Alberto Zuccardi built up a mass-market business for Santa Julia and established the bases for the "Q" line. In the 2000s, Sebastián Zuccardi and the R&D department, the third generation in charge of winemaking, took over an ambitious plan for vineyards in the Uco Valley, which culminated with the construction of Bodega Piedra Infinita (2016) in Paraje Altamira. The high-end project led the Zuccardis to split their operations between Bodega Santa Julia and Zuccardi Valle de Uco. On their quest for colder climes, they radically redrew the map of the Uco Valley, becoming the driving force behind the establishment of new Geographic Indications. The Zuccardis were also champions of new soil-focused approaches, of which their parcel wines are excellent examples. Between 2008 and 2022 they created an extremely distinguished technical team whose creativity is matched by their execution. During that period the first Zuccardi Aluvional appeared, and they launched a new portfolio including Chardonnay Fósil, Malbec Concreto, Cabernet Franc Polígonos de Valle de Uco and Cabernet Sauvignon Finca Los Membrillos, and in 2022: Chardonnay Botánico and Semillón Viticultor. All of them are good examples of a paradigm that represents the new Argentina; one that pushes the boundaries with well-defined concepts and tangible results.